Ivy, the piranha

Last monday, I got a text during my lunch break that Ivy had bit one of the other little girls at the babysitters. I freaked out because she's never bit anyone before..she's never even tried. Sometimes we play around with her and pretend to "eat her" but nothing like crazy. When I picked her up, Keri (Ivy's babysitter) told me that after she bit the little girl, they put her in time out, and they talked to her. When I got there, I looked at the bite on the girls arm and we are talking like bite marks and bruises here! When Ivy and I got home, we talked a lot about how we don't bite. I found books on the iPad, youtube videos, and we just talked about it for the majority of the night. 

Tuesday was fine, but then Wednesday, while I was on my lunch break again, I got another text saying that she bit the same girl. When I asked Keri about it, she said that they weren't fighting or anything, they were just playing together and Ivy just bit her out of nowhere, both times. The mama bear came out in me, and since Keri only lives a couple minutes away from the school, I hurried and went over there. I grabbed Ivy and I took her in the garage and we had a long talk. I was SO frustrated! She knows better! I could';t figure out why she would be biting?! Ugh. It totally made me feel like a bad mom..I mean, I DIDN'T TEACH HER THAT. Anyways, I went back to school and then when I came back to get her, the little girls mom was there also. I kept apologizing, I felt so bad! I was so annoyed, and I did;t know what to do! (I still don't BTW!) 

Then yesterday during nursery, I made sure to tell her leaders just so that they would be aware. I told them to come get me if she was showing signs or if she bit anyone. When I went in after church to pick her up, one of the leaders told me that she just BARELY bit another girl on the finger!! WHAT THE HECK!? I just don't even know. 

A lot of people have been telling me it's just a phase. Others are telling me to bite her back. But I just can't. Ivy is a sassy little stink, but she's actually really sensitive and gets her feelings hurt really easily. The other day, when we were chatting about biting, I asked her if she wanted mama to bite her and how it would feel..and she said, "no mama, we don't bite! no biting!" and she started crying at the thought that I would do that to her..

which is why its so stinkin' confusing to me! She knows better, I know she knows she's not supposed to, I just can't get to the root of it..if she's not doing it out of spite..she's doing it for some kind of attention. It's just so frustrating! I started thinking that Ivy actually IS a little spoiled! She doesn't have any siblings. None of our friends that come over and hang out with us have any kids to play with..She has three sets of grandparents that live in town, and no cousins to share them with..like, she pretty much has all attention on her, 24/7..except at daycare. Because, how can she? IT's good for her, she just needs to learn how to channel her negative energy. She's never had any issues with hitting or anything like that, and hasn't had a problem at daycare, EVER! I just don't know! I know it is just a phase, but really...biting? It's just weird!