I seem to have had a run recently of 2 1/2 yr old boys who seem to be completely and utterly incapable of doing ANYTHING for themselves, or even understanding what you are saying to them!

Is it a boy thing or an age thing? all my 2 yr old girls are organising me, but the boys ... ARGHH! I do have 1 boy who does everything for himself, and doesn't need a personal invitation to do anything, but the rest of them are driving me insane! Just looking at me as if I am speaking outer Mongolian!

' lets go and wash our hands for lunch ' ... everyone rushes to wash their hands, including 14 mth old ( ! ) except X

' X, lets go and wash our hands for lunch' ... stands there looking blankly at me

' X, time to wash our hands ' ... as above

I give up and lead X to wash his hands ...

having washed them, he then stands there and has to be personally invited to dry his hands, and then reminded to come and sit down!

He fell over last week, and just lay there on the ground waiting to be picked up ( no injuries, no crying ) ( I can't get the shaking head smiley to work! )

I KNOW its a developmental thing, and processing and all of that, but this child was more or less doing things himself a few weeks ago, and has now taken up the baton where the last child gave up! I've had it now for over a year, with 3 or 4 different boys!

I remember minding a boy who went through this about 8 years ago but no one since!

OR, do I just have 3 boys whose mothers do EVERYTHING for them! I know one of my recent boys had everything done for him by mum and sisters, and I worked hard with WHOLE family to get through it, and another boys mum was doing everything and hadn't realised! but mum of current child, I thought, was not of that ilk! I may be wrong!

please tell me its not just me!