I came very close to killing my daughter this morning. This is a long one, so I suggest you get a snack, go to the bathroom, then settle back to read this sad and pathetic tale that is my life at the moment...
The morning started out the same. T seemed in good spirits until I started to dress her. I put her red leggings on her and she objected, but let me put them on her. I had to stop her a time or two from taking them off. Apparently, she wanted something else. What else? Who the hell knows. She then balked at her shirt or her socks, and said she wanted to wear her PJ shirt when I threatened to make her wear that to school. She didnt' care about my threat of no TV.
Instead of fighting, I decided to go and load up the car with my stuff, and send off an email that I was running late to my partner and the defense attorney. I then hear T moving about in the bedroom, and figure she's finally getting up. I figure I'm making headway until she comes out into the living room NUDE from the waist down.
She's also acting very guilty. "Where are your pants Taylor?", I ask. She hems and haws some more until she admits....
I went PeePee in your bed.
WHAT??????????? I go in and investigate, and find a number of wet spots on the sheets, her wet leggings and panties on the bed, and literally a PUDDLE of peepee on the sheets as big as lake Michegan. Gross.
I can't tell you how upset I was. I stripped the bed and literally had to go into another room to calm myself down. She did it b/c she didn't want to wear the pants. Totally purposefully!
Needless to say, there is no Tv, no movies, no princess dresses, and no fun in this house this evening.
So, we were late to school...but it doesn't end there!
As we were driving in we passed by McDonald's and T said she wanted to go through the drive through. I told her, "no, b/c we were late. And guess what Taylor, b/c we're so late breakfast at school is over, and you're going to be hungry all morning b/c you were bad. " I got a pout.
We arrive at school, and while I'm informing Ms. Susan of the morning's happenings, T went skipping inside her class, straight to Miss Cynthia, complaining that she was hungry and that her Mommy wouldn't feed her. Miss Cynthia, who is deaf but reads lips, turns to me all concerned saying...You didn't give her breakfast???...like I'm the fucking worst mother in the world!
Yes, my devious, manipulative, stinker of a daughter is setting me up and trying to get me in trouble with the teacher. Luckily, Miss Susan came to my defense, and then I explained exactly what happened this morning and what T did. All the little kids in the class stopped talking and you could hear a pin drop in the class as I explained the morning's antics. They all knew that T was in big big trouble and were trying to stay out of the line of fire. Smart Kids. So, I left with T getting lectured some more from her teachers.
When I picked her up today, Miss Susan made her come up to me, and T said, "I'm sorry I went peepee in your bed. I won't do it again."
So, there's the latest in the continuing saga. I really am at my wits end.
Welcome 2nd Grade!!
No more sleeping late for us! It's back to school time!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Just when you think it Can't Get Worse...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Taylor's Gal Pals
How Long We've Been a Family:
4 Brilliant Comment(s) from Friends:
We've just had world war III in this house...over nothing. I'm buying the fucking book mentioned below...It can't arrive quick enough...
Three-Year-Old's Temper Tantrums
Expert Advice from Carleton Kendrick, Ed.M., LCSW
Question: We have a three-year-old son who recently began a very disturbing behavior. He will, most often in the morning, go into a rage when asked to get dressed or have breakfast,etc. Once precipitated, the rage will continue unabated for up to an hour! It is impossible to talk to him during the episode as he cannot hear through his own screaming, and further it only seems to aggravate it more. We also can't seem to let him "cry it out" as he will attach himself to your leg, screaming not to do whatever you were headed for. Then as suddenly as it starts, it stops. As if a switch is thrown, he will re-engage in play and appear happy and light. How do will handle the rage episodes? Is this "normal" behavior for a three-year-old? What causes it? Help!!!
Answer: Your son has entered the tantrum stage. I know it's hard to fathom how this content little child seemed to turn overnight into this periodically rageful, inconsolable three-year-old. Tantrums may appear several times a day for months, plateau, maybe disappear, and then reappear at the next growth spurt. What usually precipitates these tantrums is the boxed in, angst-ridden feeling the preschooler has when he wants to be more independent but doesn't have the skills or freedom to do what he wants. Your son's seem to center around his railing against being asked to participate in his usual morning rituals. He's not consciously choosing to be out of control every morning. As you can see from how scared he is while this is going on, he is as overwhelmed and stunned by his uncontrollable emotions as you are. Trying to talk to him or reason with him during a tantrum is worthless, he truly can't hear you.
A book that will help you understand and head off tantrums, talk to your child about them, and reduce their frequency and duration is Kathy Levinson's " First Aid For Tantrums" (Saturn Press). There is also good advice about periodic rages in Patricia Henderson Shimm's "Parenting Your Toddler" (Addison Wesley). I know that after consulting these resources you will be far better equipped to understand the reasons why he is behaving like this and to cope with these tantrums. Thankfully they do pass as the child moves through this developmental struggle for independence and control.
I got NOTHING for you!
Sorry sister!
Diapers maybe?
Eeesh. I truly feel for you. We do have our battles here too. It's a rough age. The only suggestions I have are to revert back to helping her dress (I wake Sara up 15 minutes before we leavein the morning and help get her dressed. She's still half asleep so it minimizes battles.) The other suggestion is to work on giving her words to tell you when she's mad, frustrated, upset, angry, etc. I ask Sara a lot if she's grim and grumpy. I've heard from the "experts" that if they can express themselves, it reduces tantrums.
Please keep us posted on the ongoing adventures! Good luck.
Laura... Tha't fabulous advice! Teaching your child how to express their feelings is an important step in teaching them how to understand what they are experiencing. Our son (at 6 y/o) is just now figuring out how to express his feelings. I wish I would have thought about teaching him how to express his feelings at an earlier age. And, if they can't express their feelings verbally, one can always make faces depicting the different expressions of feelings. Attach magnets to the backs and you have a refrigerator helpmate... The child can always go pick out the faces showing how he/she is feeling at that moment!
Post a Comment