bad day, children, humor, kids, life in pictures, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting, tantrums, terrible threes

Over It

All Moms are familiar with the phenomenon that when one of your children is out of control, your remaining children become eerily angelic.  This is helpful because having one kid lose it is more than enough.

Then, there are the special days.  The days you are convinced that your children made some sort of evil pact to share the burden of dreadful behavior equally. Those are the days where all you can hope for is that you don’t lose your cool enough that the neighbors alert the authorities in some capacity.

First, it started with T.Puzzle.  He called his brother a ‘diaper head’ and ran screaming away and hid in a corner when I punished him for the name-calling.  I took away all of his stuffed animals and Thomas blanket and he screamed, “You’re mean!” at top volume.  This was later followed by a meltdown about sharing a toy riding car.  I had to carry him kicking and screaming to his room for punishment.

I could already feel how special the day was becoming.

He eventually pulled it together.

Great, I thought.  Now we can enjoy this awesome weather with friends and look forward to our dinner out with Mad Dog.

Post T.Puzzle meltdown. Miss Cutie enjoys the calm and a ride before Full Speed's turn to lose it.

Well,.. Full Speed decided to get in to the act.  He was glorious in his sassiness, which started because he lost a game of Red Light, Green Light.  The unfortunate power struggles and tantrums that ensued culminated in him screaming, “I never want to live in this house again!”  Oh, and he also hit me.  A knock-down, oh-no-he-didn’t veritable knick-knack patty-whack across my back.

We didn’t go to dinner (foiled again!!!), they went to bed so early I’m pretty sure I heard the faint whisperings of the five o’clock news in the background, and I dropped to my knees and prayed to my God (Supernanny) for guidance.

Some days are good, some days you wish you ‘never want to live in your house again!’, and some days are better when they are over.

bad day, children, kids, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting, tantrums, terrible threes

Why?

 

T.Puzzle during happier times

 

Like nails on a chalkboard.  That’s the only way I can describe T.Puzzle’s onslaught of questions concerning his assorted punishments.  I picked him up from school and when it was time to go, he decided that he wasn’t in the mood.  He dragged his sorry self down the hallway and folded into a heap of sorrow about half-way down.  I informed him that he would lose his crocs for tomorrow and would be sent to his room when we returned home.  He screamed at top volume all the way home.  This only lengthened the amount of time he would be spending in his room, expedited his bedtime hour and contributed to a loss of his other privileges.

After I managed to get Full Speed off to tae kwon do with Mad Dog, I allowed a seemingly defeated T.Puzzle to come to the table for dinner.

“Why can’t I have my Thomas (the Train) color book?”

“Why can’t I have my animals?”

“Why can’t I have my crocs?”

“Why can’t I have a treat?”

“Why can’t I watch TV?”

“Why can’t I stay up late?”

“Why?  Why?  Why?”

I tried to ignore him, but my ears couldn’t take it.  Not after all the high-volume screaming they had already endured.  I tried to tell him to be quiet.  I tried to calmly explain the reasons for the loss of his privileges.

Nothing worked except putting him to bed.

Early.

Very early.

children, gratitude, happiness, humor, kids, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting, tantrums, terrible threes

Wha?

T.Puzzle had an interesting statement.

“I not cry at drop-off today, Mommy.”

Wha?

Did my often unpredictible, at times overly emotional, fully commited to the terrible threes child tell me he wasn’t going to throw a tantrum?

I’ve heard of out of body experiences.  This was mine.

My loyal readers will understand the magnitude of what T.Puzzle was saying to me.

My motherhood journey to this moment has been anything but easy.

And now, here we are.

Tearless drop-offs for T.Puzzle.

What’s next?

Armageddon?

bad day, children, eyesight, health, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting, tantrums, terrible threes

Bad to Worse

I had the delusion that I would take T.Puzzle out for a lovely lunch (his choice) on his last day before returning to preschool.

Instead, this is how he behaved at the eye doctor’s:

Then, it went from bad to worse on the ride home…

We are clearly tired of going to the eye doctor.

Lucky for us we get to go back in three weeks.

Rock. On.

children, mommyhood, surgery, tantrums, terrible threes

Wiseguy

T.Puzzle showing off some personality (and energy).

You know your day is long if you are spending a majority of it praying to the ‘napping gods’ that your very contrary three year old will take an afternoon snooze.  T.Puzzle is on the dreaded cusp of outgrowing his nap altogether.  It’s not such a bad thing on days we are on the go and everyone is in a good mood.  On the days when despite all appearances (crazy running, yelling and jumping), T.Puzzle’s little body needs recovery time post-surgery; a nap can be a much needed thing.  In addition to the health benefits it also should hopefully improve his mood as it seems he woke up on the oppositional defiant side of his bed this morning.

Apparently, ‘No!’ and ‘I not!’ can never be overused in his wiseguy opinion.

Thank god he’s asleep right now.  At least if he’s sleeping he ain’t talking and therein lies the real beauty of a napping child.