In the morning, my 18 month old son gives hugs and kisses when I leave, but when I come home he is indifferent. Normally his caregivers say he screams Mama when he hears me come in the door, but when he sees me he runs away and takes a while to warm up. Is this normal? At this age is unrealistic to expect a smile and hug when I get home?
ETA: He is cared for at our home.
Well, mom's home now, everything's gonna be ok, no need to freak out. He's not thinking about YOUR feelings at 18 months, but he will eventually!
Normal stuff.
:)
I looked at the title and wondered why you are making a toddler work. :(
He wants to play with his friends, perfectly normal.
This is completely normal. I figure two things. First, you are home, all is well. Now he can relax and really get to doing what he wants to do because all stress is relieved - mom's home!
Second, I think they're a bit miffed and they kind of punish us for not being home all day.
Don't worry - soon enough he will be running to meet you at the door!
My son did this with Daddy for a long time at that age. It was tough on all of us. Then they started a tradition that he gets to sit on the bed while Daddy changes out of his work clothes. Afterwards, he gets to tickle and rough house with Daddy on the bed. (This is a big deal since Mommy doesn't play on the bed with him during the day.) Now at 2 and a half, my son screams Daddy, runs to the door, and follows him right in the bedroom. It's a much happier greeting!
