Dealing with a toddler is guaranteed to make you feel a little crazy. Or feel as though your toddler is a little crazy.
Take for example Delaney’s request for an afternoon snack:
“Mommy, you choose the snack and I’ll choose the juice.”
“How about a few of these tiny cookies?”
“Noooooo….Moooommmy, I already had those!!!”
“These? (Holding up small green bag of 100 cal cookies) No, you haven’t had any of these today.”
“Yesssss, I have.”
“Baby, you might have had some on a different day, but not today.”
“I don’t want them.”
“That’s fine. How about a few Goldfish?”
“Yeah! Yes…I LOVE Goldfish!”
(This is when I pull them out of the bag and set them on her little table in the kitchen.”
“Moooommmmy…..Goldfish???!!!??? I said I don’t want Goldfish, I want cookies.”
Ok…it is about this time that I want to ever-so-calmly say, “Alright, Sybil, when you get a grip…choose a personality, and let me know.” However, I just leave the Goldfish on the table and walk away.
I have a friend who says it is easier to make it through moments like this if you picture your kids as little drunks. They’re hungry, no they aren’t. They want you to hold them. No, put me down! That’s my toy. You can have it! I LOVE Goldfish! I hate GOldfish!
The drunk image makes me giggle…beacuse, they really are irrational. They don’t know what they want. They have this raging independence fighting to get out of their little bodies and it manifests itself in perpetual indecision. Much to my chagrin.
So, again, the drunk image helps me by turning my ‘crazy’ into laughter.
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