Tag: temper tantrum

Crying. Let’s first define it. Crying is tears. It can lead to screaming and kicking and shaking.

Crying isn’t whining. Crying isn’t meowing. Crying isn’t going boneless and falling to the floor to get what you want. Also not crying: sweating, coughing, shaking and even throwing up. But all that can lead to true crying.

Where do all those tears come from? Who knows. It could be hunger or tiredness. Your child could be digesting images – screen images or billboards or the newspaper or book covers – that they don’t understand. Loud music. Tension in the home or even passing someone in a fight on the street. A dog barking. Anything. The point is, tears are a clearing out and we don’t have to know why. Don’t even ask. Read more…

Mommy: “Which one do you want? The pink one or the blue one?”

Baby: “No.”

Mommy: “Look how nice they both are…you can have one – the pink or the blue one”

Baby: “Nooooooooo”

This was the scene behind our front door the other morning as we headed out to the playground. Since it’s cold here most of the summer, I was trying to get the little one to choose which coat to wear since not wearing one did not seem like a viable option…it was (or at least felt like) 50 degrees outside.

The “no” went on for some time until she managed to actually choose the pink one. It was funny, too. She just all of a sudden, in the most reasonable tone said, “pink” and let me put it on her. Then she was all excited to get zipped up. Off to the playground we went and I was already exhausted.

At what point is it OK to just let her walk outside and be cold so that she’ll ASK for her coat?!?

photo credit: Lars Plougmann

Ahh, the Wondrous Belly Flop – right on schedule at 2 years of age. As we near Sophie’s 2nd birthday, we’ve been introduced the full throttled, belly on the floor, fists and feet pounding temper tantrum. Good times. Good times.

The tantrums have been happening for a while now, though looking back they paled in comparison. This week she ratcheted it up a notch…lucky me. It can happen at a moment’s notice, too. Like today, we were happily coloring with crayons (oh why didn’t I buy the kind that only write on the special paper?!?) and then she asked for bubbles. I simply asked if she was done coloring and she threw herself out of the chair and melted into the floor, tears cascading down her face down cheeks, screaming. And the pisser is, she was done coloring. We’d been doing it for some time and I made the mistake of asking her a question instead of immediately producing requested bubbles. How dare I?

Then again at dinner…here’s how it went:

Her, “uppy”
Me, “As soon as I finish with the sharp knife.”
Her, “UPPY”
Me, “Yes. As soon as I finish with this sharp knife.”
Her, “UUUPPYYYYYYYYYY” then BAM, on the floor.

I know she’s testing me to see how I react so I’m trying to ignore it. Trying. Please oh please tell me this too will pass…

photo credit: Joe Shlabotnik