Browsing Tag

temper tantrums

Daily Life

A much needed 3 day weekend

What are everyone’s plans for the 3 day weekend?! I’m so ready, you guys. This has been a really rough with the kids for me. Isabelle is at the age where she wants things but doesn’t know enough words so she’s constantly screaming and clawing at me because she’s upset I don’t know what she wants.

“Can you please get out of the car? It’s time to get out of the car. Let’s get out of the car now. Get out of the car, NOW. Okay I’m going to count to 3 and then I’m going to remove your body from the car.” 

K has really struggled with listening this week too. Everything I ask her starts out like “Can you please get out of the car? It’s time to get out of the car. Let’s get out of the car now. Get out of the car, NOW. Okay I’m going to count to 3 and then I’m going to remove your body from the car.” *Tantrum of the century ensues*… And rinse and repeat for every thing I ask all day. I’m exhausted. I’m spent. Having one of those weeks I wish I could run away! I’m so ready for a 3 day weekend and for Jason to be able to help with the girls. What is everyone else doing this weekend? Any fun plans?

Daily Life

Toddler Meltdowns: The Struggle is Real

Wearing shades to hide the fact that I totally have tears in my eyes. Did you notice it’s just me and Isabelle? We drove all the way out to the LA Harbor today to see the Dutch Tallship Stad Amsterdam. Katie was already causing trouble on the way there, shouting in the car and kicking Jason’s seat while he was driving. We got out of the car and went and got in line to board the ship and she was being SO bad.

Katie was already causing trouble on the way there, shouting in the car and kicking Jason’s seat while he was driving.

Jason tried putting her on his shoulders, we tried to get her excited about the ship (because she couldn’t stop talking about it on the way there!), and we kept telling her if she didn’t behave she wasn’t allowed to go on. She kept insisting that she was going to behave, but her actions weren’t changing. She was screaming and thrashing around on the ground, asking for one thing after another like milk and chicken nuggets and to watch tv.

We kept telling her if she didn’t behave she wasn’t allowed to go on.

We didn’t have any of those things, and I don’t think she wanted them either, it was just a power struggle to see what she could get. We probably warned her 20 times that she couldn’t go on if she didn’t behave and when we got to the front of the line, she was still thrashing and screaming on the ground. We had no choice but to tell her she was out of chances.

We had no choice but to tell her she was out of chances.

Deep down I thought maybe Jason would take her to the car to calm down and bring her back so I boarded with Isabelle and looked around and waited. I texted Jason to see what was going on and he said they weren’t coming back (usually I’m the mean one and he’s the softie so I was surprised!) I felt bad. I mean REALLY bad. I knew it had to be done because she can’t act like that, but it still hurt my heart to take something from her she really wanted.

I felt bad. I mean REALLY bad.

She cried the whole way home, and I was a little teary-eyed myself. It’s hard to uphold consequences – especially when you drive all the way to get somewhere and have to go right home. I think I need to buckle up if this is going to be life with a threenager. Please send positive vibes – no, send beer.

Daily Life

Dealing with serious temper tantrums

Okay guys, today was a rough one for us! We visited this interpretive center for the first time and there’s a really cute museum inside. They have a BINGO game for kids and have crayons you can borrow to play it. So K and I played and she was having kind of a rough time but she’s almost 3 so it was nothing out of the ordinary. Then we had to return the crayon because it wasn’t ours and K LOST IT. I mean like nothing I have ever seen before, and that’s saying a lot.

We have seen the thrashing on the ground crying tantrums, we’ve seen hitting and kicking, we’ve seen running away and refusing to come when called…

We have seen the thrashing on the ground crying tantrums, we’ve seen hitting and kicking, we’ve seen running away and refusing to come when called… This was a whole new level. I wanted to check her for broken bones or a flesh eating bacteria because in my head, there was no way any child should be acting like this unless they are dying. She would walk 5 feet, throw herself on the ground screaming at the top of her lungs like she was being murdered, thrash around, stand up walk 5 more feet, rinse and repeat.

I wanted to check her for broken bones or a flesh eating bacteria because in my head, there was no way any child should be acting like this unless they are dying.

I was trying to get her outside because we were inside an effing museum, the quietest place ever, and everyone was looking at us… I tried all my patient mom tricks to calm her down – I explained that we have to share the crayons, I tried to take a deep breath together, I offered to go to the bathroom to help her splash water on her face, I was desperate and nothing was working. And also had Isabelle in the carrier so carrying K while she was fighting with all her might wasn’t really practical.

I tried all my patient mom tricks to calm her down

So K cried/thrashed/flopped around on the ground every few feet the whole way to the car and I was almost fuming at this point, but was really trying to keep it together. Because no one wins if we are both screaming on the ground, though I was tempted. I told her we could either go home and no tv the rest of the day, or we could eat lunch outside the center and calm down, and after she could go in and apologize for her behavior. She chose the latter so we went and did lunch.

I told her she could go in and apologize for her behavior.

When it came time for the apology, K confidently walked inside, walked up to the staff at the desk, and then closed her eyes and turned her head! For what felt like an eternity but was probably 5-10 seconds. She eventually said sorry and the staff member told her she accepted her apology and we went back outside. I don’t know if her behavior was because she was tired (Isabelle screamed most of the night) or if I’m just desperately grasping at straws because I honestly can’t believe how bad this behavior was and I want to think there was a damn good reason so I can tell myself it won’t happen again.

If this is how 3 is going to be, it’s going to be a long year! Really hoping it was just an off day!