Temper, Temper

I've been wondering a lot lately where the things that come out of Eli's mouth originate. I know that they're not coming from Brian or me, especially not in the intonation he uses. For example, I don't think I've ever yelled (in a growling sort of voice), "Braedy, you're NOT invited. Get out of here now!" or said, "Braedy, I'm going to kill you." Sometimes, I joke that I'm going to throw him in the trash or squish him like a bug, but I say those things with a smile on my face so as not to sound like I'd actually do either of them.

But suddenly, Eli's picking up on some very mean things to say to Braedy, and he says them in such a mean way, adding such mean actions as pushing, kicking (if I'm within sight, he stops, just in time so as not to actually touch Braedy) and his personal favorite: the chokehold. I was so worried for Braedy's safety when he was a baby (and still remember the time Eli walked into the kitchen "carrying" Braedy) that when Braedy became more mobile and vocal, I thought we were out of the woods. Now, Eli's stronger, and though Braedy's bigger, Eli can still manage to carry Braedy around, or if that doesn't work, pull him. Seriously, someone is going to get hurt, and soon. And, I'm at a loss for what to do. Part of me doesn't want to discipline Eli for trying out new phrases; I think at some level he's saying them to get a reaction. But, when Braedy starts screaming or crying just based on Eli's tone of voice (or worse yet, when Eli's actually strangling him), time outs just seem to tick off Eli even more. So, it's an interesting time to have kids at my house. I don't like feeling out of control, nor do I like having to worry what will happen when I leave a room. Trashing a room with lots of laughter, I can almost handle, but pushing, shoving, choking and yelling mean things, well that's enough to make me want to strangle him. Not really, but you get the point.