NayneeNoo
01-26-2011, 03:52 PM
Crafty has zero sense of personal space. She loves to sit practically on top of you, not to be annoying but because she loves being close to those she loves. She was my baby that, while being rocked to sleep, insisted on having her hand down my shirt and inside my bra because she craved that skin to skin contact. It can be a bit much having her thisclose all the time, but one day, she might not want that, so I cuddle with her frequently.
Sassy enjoys cuddling to an extent but she likes her personal space. Instead of sitting thisclose to you during an activity, she would prefer having at least an arm's length (YOUR arm's length not hers :giggle) distance between you. She falls asleep easiest with her personal bubble fully intact and when upset, she would rather lean on you with her upper body only so that the rest of her is still has that personal space instead of in your lap, full body contact.
With that said...and I'm sure you can see where this is going...Crafty does not respect Sassy's personal space at. all. :no She's not trying to agitate her sister, it's just natural to her to want to be "on top" of her sister while they are playing. This leads to lots and lots of screaming and physical lashing out on Sassy's part in an effort to make her sister back off. Thus far, Crafty has not gotten the message. I physically intervene to prevent Sassy from hitting her sister but at the same time how do I help Crafty understand the need for her to respect her sister's personal space?
It is particularly bad when I am making dinner and cannot intervene as quickly as I usually do because my hands have been handling raw meat, or I am stirring, etc. During this time I hear a LOT of "Sassy, stop hitting me." (Sassy screeches) "I'm not doing anything to you!!!!!" Chances are when I arrive on the scene, Crafty has tried to sit too close to her sister during play and Sassy does not like this infringement on her personal space. Sassy enjoys playing with her sister....just not so closely.
So, how do I handle this? Any attempts at explanation to Crafty have thus far been unsuccessful. AFA Sassy, I realize much of what I can do is what I'm doing now, intervening and redirecting. Am I missing other tactics? Is there something else I can do to set them up for success?
Sassy enjoys cuddling to an extent but she likes her personal space. Instead of sitting thisclose to you during an activity, she would prefer having at least an arm's length (YOUR arm's length not hers :giggle) distance between you. She falls asleep easiest with her personal bubble fully intact and when upset, she would rather lean on you with her upper body only so that the rest of her is still has that personal space instead of in your lap, full body contact.
With that said...and I'm sure you can see where this is going...Crafty does not respect Sassy's personal space at. all. :no She's not trying to agitate her sister, it's just natural to her to want to be "on top" of her sister while they are playing. This leads to lots and lots of screaming and physical lashing out on Sassy's part in an effort to make her sister back off. Thus far, Crafty has not gotten the message. I physically intervene to prevent Sassy from hitting her sister but at the same time how do I help Crafty understand the need for her to respect her sister's personal space?
It is particularly bad when I am making dinner and cannot intervene as quickly as I usually do because my hands have been handling raw meat, or I am stirring, etc. During this time I hear a LOT of "Sassy, stop hitting me." (Sassy screeches) "I'm not doing anything to you!!!!!" Chances are when I arrive on the scene, Crafty has tried to sit too close to her sister during play and Sassy does not like this infringement on her personal space. Sassy enjoys playing with her sister....just not so closely.
So, how do I handle this? Any attempts at explanation to Crafty have thus far been unsuccessful. AFA Sassy, I realize much of what I can do is what I'm doing now, intervening and redirecting. Am I missing other tactics? Is there something else I can do to set them up for success?