Yesterday was very trying. Each of the kids had an (almost) completely irrational loss of control which lasted much longer than was comfortable for anyone.
It started with Amanda at the grocery store. She has a quiet voice at the best of times, and in a busy store when I'm trying to keep Luke from diving out of the cart, it can be hard to hear her. I think she was trying to show me something, but whenever I asked, she would whisper something about "over there" or simply be quiet... She's discovered indefinite pronouns a bit ago, and now she likes to make me read her mind instead of pointing to things or describing them accurately.
At any rate, we were both getting more and more frustrated, and I suddenly realized where this was going. I got in line to pay, but it was too late. I had gotten about half of the groceries out of the cart by the time she started screaming. The clerks offered to find someone to help us out to our car (the whole foods cashiers are great!) but I decided to head for the door as quickly as possible.
Amanda screamed the whole way home as well as 20-30 minutes after we got home. For the first time in a long time she arched her back while getting into her car seat. The only way I could help her quiet down was to sit holding her---which worked well, except that Luke objected. He tried several times to squeeze himself between Amanda and me, grabbing convenient parts of Amanda's hair. This was not helpful. Amanda did eventually calm down, and she was more or less cheerful for the rest of the evening.
Eleanor lost it after we watched Cars. She wanted to watch the previews. I told her no. She asked again. I said no. She asked 2 more times, I said no each time, adding that it was very late and we could watch them some other time. The last time she asked, I said no and if she asked again, she could go up to her room. A few minutes later she said, "You know what I really want to do? Watch the previews..." I sent her up to her room (although the lawyers among you will point out that she wasn't actually asking to watch them). She screamed, tipped over her ottoman, took the pillow off her rocking chair, and read until she felt better.
Luke got fed up with all the attention I was devoting to his sisters and started crying during Amanda's bath. Fortunately, what he really needed was to go to bed, and Michael got home shortly after he lost it.
Quite the day. Thank goodness they are not all like this.
It started with Amanda at the grocery store. She has a quiet voice at the best of times, and in a busy store when I'm trying to keep Luke from diving out of the cart, it can be hard to hear her. I think she was trying to show me something, but whenever I asked, she would whisper something about "over there" or simply be quiet... She's discovered indefinite pronouns a bit ago, and now she likes to make me read her mind instead of pointing to things or describing them accurately.
At any rate, we were both getting more and more frustrated, and I suddenly realized where this was going. I got in line to pay, but it was too late. I had gotten about half of the groceries out of the cart by the time she started screaming. The clerks offered to find someone to help us out to our car (the whole foods cashiers are great!) but I decided to head for the door as quickly as possible.
Amanda screamed the whole way home as well as 20-30 minutes after we got home. For the first time in a long time she arched her back while getting into her car seat. The only way I could help her quiet down was to sit holding her---which worked well, except that Luke objected. He tried several times to squeeze himself between Amanda and me, grabbing convenient parts of Amanda's hair. This was not helpful. Amanda did eventually calm down, and she was more or less cheerful for the rest of the evening.
Eleanor lost it after we watched Cars. She wanted to watch the previews. I told her no. She asked again. I said no. She asked 2 more times, I said no each time, adding that it was very late and we could watch them some other time. The last time she asked, I said no and if she asked again, she could go up to her room. A few minutes later she said, "You know what I really want to do? Watch the previews..." I sent her up to her room (although the lawyers among you will point out that she wasn't actually asking to watch them). She screamed, tipped over her ottoman, took the pillow off her rocking chair, and read until she felt better.
Luke got fed up with all the attention I was devoting to his sisters and started crying during Amanda's bath. Fortunately, what he really needed was to go to bed, and Michael got home shortly after he lost it.
Quite the day. Thank goodness they are not all like this.
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