A Couple of Questions About 2 Year Old Behavior

He's going to test his boundaries and flex his muscles. Stay calm and consistent. It sounds like you're handling it well. Keep doing what you're doing and don't second guess yourself. You're doing a great job. All my kids said "tar" instead of "car" and "yiddle" instead of "little" etc. They all out grew it at different ages. If he hangs on to a bad habit for too long like that, just have him practice it a few times a day. He'll get better at pronouncing things. My son used to always say "cop" for police officer. I corrected him and said he should say "officer" he tried and tried and couldn't say it so I said "cop is fine..." LOL I didn't realize that "cop" was just easier to say. But it sounded disrespectful..LOL Good luck!

I remember in preK my son's class got a speech screening and those C/T sounds are still present then--and normal. Don't correct it--they can't form the sounds yet. You can say "Yes--that is a nice car" but don't try to get him to repeat it back.
As for the "sorry" thing--you've just got O. of those kids! My son is the same way--gets better with time but it just about KILLED him to apologize when he was 2. Make sure he hears YOU saying sorry in day-to-day activities....

Aw, you have a tenderhearted son! How precious. I think you are handling things well, so long as you are not yelling at him (which it doesn't sound like you are). Correct him, show him by your displeasure that he is wrong. But, also, reassure him of your love. When he says he is sorry, put a huge smile on your face and tell him your forgive him. Hug him and let him know that your relationship is fully restored. Also, I wouldn't send him to his room. I think that is a huge mistake that most parents make. It teaches the children to get along just fine without Mom and Dad. It hardens their hearts against us. It does not instill an urgency at restoration and repentance from their disobedience. As they get older, they take that opportunity to stew and develop very negative feelings towards their parents. And, as a teenager, often, feelings rule the day. Instead, get into the habit of dealing with the situation immediately with your child. Start teaching self-control. I allow my children to cry for a short amount of time. After the initial tears, they find that they can get sympathy and wallow in self-pity. This is a bad thing for them. It takes time, and is an effort, but it is well worth it to train this response out of them. Be gentle. loving, but firm. Do not ever discipline in anger, but in love. Sounds like you are on the right track with your son though.

Oh, and the language thing is totally normal! Don't worry about that. Sounds like you are doing it right in that regard!

Sounds like what you are doing is working. Maybe you can set a timer, so he doesn't need you to tell him he's done. Then you can tell him when you hear the beep you are done, come tell me you are sorry. Good luck, sounds like you are doing the right thing!

Yes, I'd say his speech issues are normal. My son cannot pronounce his L's- he says them at w's. So he will say "yewow" instead of "yellow". I'm not too worried about it. He has excellent speech, and is very easy to understand. I'm sure it will get better as he gets older. If not, we will work on it with him. (My son will be 3 this weekend).
As for discipline, I would suggest getting the book 1-2-3 Magic. It's all about timeouts and how to do them. The biggest thing I would tell you is that I've heard it's best to give them 1 minute per year of age for a timeout- that's it. So, the most time your son should have to "cool down" is 2 minutes. The Happiest Toddler on the Block is another good book to read. You can get them both from the library, and the Happiest Toddler book is also available on DVD.
I have to say, our timeouts were very hard for my son at first. I think part of it was being left alone. He has gotten a bit better with them as he's gotten older because we are consistent with them, and he knows they only last a couple of minutes. Try to keep your emotions out of it and be very even keel. He might be freaking out, but just be calm.
Some people feel that you should not "force" an apology out of them, but let them say it when they feel it. I do ask my son to apologize to me, or whomever he hurt.

Good luck to you!
T.
Barefoot Books Ambassador
www.ReadandGrow.com