I know I’ve talked about what a good boy Gregory is, but he’s not perfect. No no no.
This afternoon, he got an extreme case of “mamma, pay attention to me RIGHT NOW or there will be HELL to pay!”. All of you mothers know what this is. And it’s hard for me to punish, since half of me feels kinda guilty for not having the ability to drop everything and read a book, throw a ball, etc.
Anyways, this meltdown was induced by a huge transgression on my part– I decided to multi-task. I know, God forbid. I had the AUDACITY to try and feed G his applesauce while finishing the 2012-13 book list for 9-12th grades at school.
After giving me two solid SHRIEKS without his desired result, Gregory walked over to the counter stools. Angrily, he took one and attempted to throw it at me! In reality, all he did was manage to lift it slightly as he tipped it over. But the angry look he shot me when it crashed to the ground…oh man.
I held back laughter at his feeble attempt to make me mad. I walked over, bent down (an incredible feat, considering the size of Mr. Anthony’s buttocks sticking out of my belly button), took him squarely by the shoulders, and looked him in the eye.
“There will be NO MORE of that. All done.” I said, rather calmly, (I felt) and sat back down.
G obviously had a different opinion. He grabbed ANOTHER stool and attempted to throw it at me. Round 2 of the death glare.
So, I did what Jesse and I had agreed on. I scolded him in a stern voice, gave him a quick swat on the hand, and carried him straight to his crib. I set him in it, without even bothering to remove his shoes. I didn’t give him a paci or turn on his white noise– both indications of a nap. I just said, “You need a timeout. You need to calm down and be good for mama.”
And I let him scream– for 2 minutes. Just enough time to work in Potty Break #57 of the day.
I went back and got him. He immediately stopped crying when I picked him up. I said a few things about how he needed to be a good boy, and brought him back to the scene of the crime. I set him down and said, “You need to pick up the stools and apologize to mama.”
And you know what? He tried rather valiantly. Unfortunately, they’re a little heavy, so within 5 seconds he let out another frustrated screech. In order to avoid an unnecessary meltdown, “we” picked the stools up together. He even helped me push them back in.
And, wonder of wonders, he even let me blow his nose without resistance! Normally, he makes it sound like I am trying to remove his eyeballs.
And then he was good. No more tantrums!
Gregory really is a sweet boy. He has such a sweet and giving heart. I see this most in his behavior towards our dog– he is the first to remind us every morning that she needs to go outside. He pets her constantly and tries to hug her at least a dozen times a day. He breaks into the pantry, just to try and find her treats (occasionally, he helps himself as well…whew fish breath!!). He says thank you” to EVERY.LITTLE.THING. and always says please when we ask him to. He loves prayer time and holds still without complaint.
But he is still, very much, a headstrong toddler. Hello, Parenting Adventures!
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Deborah Granick says
Its amazing how a little time in the crib can change their attitude… you are a good mama and he is a sweet boy 🙂