On Tuesdays and Thursdays The Fuss and I go to the park and my friend Jo and her son C (who is around The Fuss's age) go "walking." The kids ride in their respective strollers and Jo and I get some exercise. We do a 2-mile loop without fail, and usually do another 1-mile loop as time and fussiness allow. The kids look around, much on crackers, grapes or whatever, drink from their sippies and occasionally try and hold hands (it is SO cute) and sometimes fuss, but mostly, they are pretty good.
We meet at 8am. Or, should I say 8-ish because I am often late.
Anyhow, this morning... Well, this morning Daddy Fuss didn't wake up until almost 7:30, so neither did I and neither did The Fuss. So from 7:30 until 8am when I was trying to get into the van to leave, she had 3 (count 'em) THREE temper tantrums - crying, yelling, crumpling to the floor wailing tantrums. Every time I would instruct her to do something, etc. She had time outs, she was physically picked up and moved twice, etc. OMG. The Drama.
She was pretty good on the walk itself. Of course, I fed her her breakfast, too so she had little to complain about. But the moment her feet hit the ground outside our house? Here we go again.
What is up with this? Why can't I get her to listen? Why doesn't my non-response or consequences (time outs, smacks to the hand when she is touching something she has been told not to touch-repeatedly, etc.) EVER effect her? The only thing that has ever gotten her to completely stop misbehaving is a smack on the thigh and I don't do that very often. And it's not the threat of such action, it's the ACTUAL smack that gets her to stop misbehaving. She has no concept of consequences. She pushes the limits time and time again. And I try. I really do try to be consistent. I try to enforce my rules and my instructions. But, seriously? How many times can you tell a toddler to "no touch" something in 5 minutes? In 15? In 30? before you go certifiably insane? I think I'm getting close to that point.
Friday, because of MOPs, she didn't get a morning nap and she fell asleep around 1:30. On Saturday, I went to a baby shower for an old friend and she was SO good at the shower (we did have 1 minor tantrum, but we made it through) and she fell asleep at 12:30 in the car on the way home. I tried to do the 1-nap transition, but then she got sick Saturday night and she was feverish on Sunday, so back to the 2 naps. And I couldn't get through work yesterday unless she took a nap, so I guess we're back to this again. I WANTED her to stay awake today - I really have a TON of running around to do today and it would have been helpful to only have to deal w/ 1 nap, but, apparently not.
Tell me again why I want another kid?
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