Almost 1 week without TV and going strong! Today was super easy on the No Telly front; we went to my parents’ house and Little Girl was so caught up in their toys that she didn’t even think of watching television. On other fronts it wasn’t quite as easy.
Little Girl spends a good deal of the day playing with her "Calico Critters" and the polymer clay food that I make for them.
I remember the days when Little Girl would love to do everything I said, just because she understood me and could do it. She thought she was such a big girl. Now she KNOWS that she is a “big girl” and is going to tell ME what to do. Ha. Ha, ha, ha. Well, today involved two tantrums and peeing on my parents’ carpet. My mom, in her way of knowing everything (how did she learn so much since I was a teenager?) put the words in my mouth: “Lord, give me the patience to endure my blessings.” One of the tantrums was right after dinner about something trivial. Little Guy decided to have a yell-fest at the same time, so it was screaming – in stereo.
Here’s my take on tantrums. I adhere to the philosophy that they’re natural phenomena, like some freak windstorm that blows up and messes up your hair and gets dirt in your eyes and then goes away. Then you clean up and move on. When she starts a tantrum, I tell her that I’m there and ready to listen when she’s able to talk so I can understand her. I do what I want or need to do while she screams, and eventually she stops. Often, she stops abruptly, as though she does not even remember what she was upset about. Further proof that small children are wired to be absolutely insane.
Tantrums in public places are just awful. Believe me, if you ever catch my eye in the grocery store and your kid is the one having the meltdown (because you’re buying regular Cheerios instead of Honey Nut Cheerios), I am not judging you. I do not think you are a bad parent. I’m thinking, “I’m glad that parent is sticking to his/her guns.” And I’m shaking in my boots. Like most moms, I know that next time…it’s my turn.
No Telly, No Trouble 