Laughing Through the Pain

Daniel has never been a hitter. So when he recently began kicking and swatting at my face while I was giving him his nighttime bottle, I was understandably concerned. He wasn't acting out of anger or frustration; in fact, he was smiling and laughing as he did it. For him, the hitting was a game. I probably reinforced that idea by making silly sound effects every time he hit or kicked. A couple of times, he really hurt me and I exclaimed, "Ouch!" I tried my best to be serious and said to him, sternly, "No hitting. You hurt Mommy." He continued to smile, repeating, "Ouch. Ouch." The way he said it ("Ach!") was so cute and funny, I couldn't help but laugh. Once again, I had inadvertently reinforced his behavior.

I now find myself in situations where Daniel will pull my hair or kick my chest, I'll say, "No hitting!" and he'll smile and say, "Ach!" Even when I put on my angry face, Daniel will continue to chirp, "Ach! Ach!" and I'll inevitably begin to laugh. How am I supposed to teach him that what he is doing is wrong, when he perceives me to be as amused by it as he is?

Poor Ollie has been the target of Daniel's physical exuberance lately. Not only does Daniel chase Ollie around the house, but he also takes away Ollie's rawhide while Ollie is chewing it. Even when I suspect he's trying to pet Ollie, Daniel kind of swats at him. Ollie ends up being extremely pissed off, and usually retreats to a corner somewhere. I feel terrible for Ollie. He's certainly not going to stick up for himself, but I can't yell at Daniel because he hardly knows what he's doing to the poor dog. Daniel sees it as playful behavior, whereas Ollie sees it as anything but. I'm torn between teaching Daniel the concept of right and wrong to the extent that he understands it and protecting Ollie and myself from these bouts of physical aggression. My hope is that Daniel will soon gain better control of his strength, thereby causing him to interact more gently with those around him.