The First Time Your Kid Says They Don’t Like You

“I don’t like you, I don’t want to live with you.”

Those are the words straight from my three-year-old son’s mouth.  Aimed at me.  And for what?  I can’t quite remember.  Something silly like… he wanted to turn right and I turned left. Toddlers…

You hear those mommy stories of the first time they say they hate you or the first time they say I don’t love you anymore – but those tales do nothing in the name of preparation.  It still stings. Bad.

I remember that day in the car when he said he didn’t want to live with me. I asked him where he would like to live and he quickly responded, “Uncle Rich’s.”  So I pulled over, put the car in reverse, turned around and (pretended) to drive to his house.  (Thank God he didn’t call my bluff because no way was I actually driving all the way there.)

He asked me if I would stay there with him. No.  Would I come back later to get him? No.  And that was all it took for him to begin panicking, yelling, “I love you!  I love you!  I love you!  I want to live with you!” And of course, he never had a choice.

We turned around yet again and had a big hug as soon as we got home. I was not at all prepared for this to start so early.  I mean, middle school?  High school?  Of course! I expect those words out of a teenager. But my three-year old baby?  No way.  He mostly has such a sweet disposition with me and we have a very snuggly, lovey relationship. That wasn’t the little guy I know.

I know that he was just trying to express himself and with a small toddler vocabulary, telling me he doesn’t like me was the way he was explaining he was upset.  That was how he was saying he was unhappy. I’d love to say that was the last time he threatened to move out, but it wasn’t. There has been at least one other occasion so I can’t say my scare tactic worked, but I do know this little man is not going anywhere. Hopefully ever.

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