Monday, January 30, 2012

Temper Tantrums

I know that children throw temper tantrums.  I understand it is part of expressing the frustration that is being a child and having to learn what you can and cannot get away with. 

However, while I consider this to have been a good weekend (we went to a birthday party, a play, and had fun relaxing at home) there was that twenty minutes or so, when I felt like calling my mother and apologizing for being a brat at times. 

Big L has anger problems some times.  She does not know how to express herself.  Unfortunately, I am the one she lashes out at.  Whether this is because I have failed to protect her, or she just expects more from me, I am unsure. 

This weekend though she would not go to her room, and I knew a melt down was coming.  For awhile now when she starts feeling like she is going to explode, I tell her to go to her room and she goes.  This weekend I had to carry her.  During this lovely trip down the hall she slapped me.  Now I will admit that I wanted to scream and yell at her right then, (i had just yelled at her to go to her room)but I knew that would be pointless.  Instead, I placed her in her room shut the door and walked away, calming myself as I stood at the end of the hall making sure she stayed.  She screamed and yelled, very mean things, for what seemed like forever. 

When she finally calmed down I poked my head in and asked if she was ready to talk.  We had the same talk we have had countless times about how i am not really mean, and how she is very fortunate to live the way she does, and how she was sorry she hurt our feelings and slapped me.  She cried quietly, and would not tell me what was wrong. 

Kids are hard.

No comments:

Post a Comment