Do I really have "that" kid?

Lately I have been wondering, "Do I have 'that' kid?" By that kid I mean the one who hits other kids and then smiles about it, the kid who throws temper tantrums and won't sit in his carseat, the kid who runs everywhere which means I run everywhere to keep him from running in the street, down the stairs, or just escaping through any open door? The most bothersome part of this is the hitting. I know he doesn't get it yet, but I feel horrible for his victims. During class, Ryan will walk up to children and hit them on the head. I don't think he does it maliciously, and I apologize for his actions and try to explain to Ryan that he has to use "nice hands" when touching friends. I know he can be very sweet and when he goes up to kids there is a 50% chance that he will hit and a 50% chance that he will hug them. I never know what he will do and I don't think he gets it!

Last Friday Ryan threw the biggest tantrum when I tried to put him in his carseat. We were out at the park and it was time to come home. He was fine until I tried to sit him in the seat. That was it! He tried to grab the sides of the seat and stand up, anything to keep me from sitting him in his carseat. All the while he was screaming his head off as people were driving and walking by. I looked like mom of the year at that point, trying to sit him down and pry his hands from the sides of the seat while telling him, "Sit down, we are going home. Let's go see Lucy." Anything to get him to cooperate. Finally he realized he was fighting a losing battle and let me strap him in...10 minutes later! I was exhausted! So was he because he fell asleep as I drove home thinking about what I could've done differently. You can't reason with a one year old.

Lastly, I don't mind that he runs, and runs, and runs, and well, you get the picture. I'm just exhausted chasing him. Who knew kids had this much energy! I will say it is fun to watch him, especially when he thinks I'm not watching him. Lately I have let him play in his room by himself for short periods of time while I do chores upstairs (right outside of his room). When he thinks I am not looking, I peek through the holes of the gate in his bedroom door and watch him walk from one toy to another or pick up a book and try to read it, or just have a conversation with himself while playing. I have so much fun spying on him. He is also so much fun to play with. He understands that when you throw him the ball he can throw it back to you, or that when you chase him and catch him, he will get tickled (which brings a huge grin to his face followed by lots of baby giggles), and he has learned what it means when I tell him hold hands because he will grab my hand when we are walking, and the best part is when I tell him, "Hugs Ryan, give mommy a hug." He will run over to me with his arms out and lay his head on me while I hug him. So maybe right now I feel like he is "that kid," but I know soon enough he will understand my words and stop hitting other kids, because after all he is a sweet boy, but for now I always have to be one step ahead of him, just in case...