You know how the red queen could imagine six impossible things before breakfast? Well, Rose can have six tempter tantrums in the same time frame.


Temper tantrum #1

Rose puts her foot on David's chest and kind of pushes him. I suggest this might not be such a good idea. She counters with the fact that he's not unhappy, and I have to agree, even when she pushes him down, but I stipulate if he gets unhappy she has to stop. He gets unhappy. She looks at me like "Am I in trouble?"

D: "I know it was an accident. It's no problem. Please move your feet, so I can pick David up."
R: "No! I don't want to move my feet!" David sits there crying.
D: "Rose, move your feet."
R: "No, I don't want to!"

I am really mad. She's managing to push all sorts of buttons at once: not listening to me; disobeying a direct order (which I rarely give); not being helpful to me; not being caring toward another person in need; being unreasonable; taking one step further than whatever we've negotiated; and putting me in a situation where I don't know what to do.

Since I don't give many direct orders, I don't have a plan for what to do if they get refused. I sit there muttering about making a plan. Eventually I get David calmed down, have Rose sit in my lap, snuggle, and finish the gingerbread man story.

Temper tantrum #2

While I tell the gingerbread man story, John pulls out a pair of red sox to distract David. He just loves to chew on red socks. Rose climbs off my lap.

R: "I want the red sock. David has one. It's not fair." She grabs the sock away from him.

I don't mind her playing with the baby's toys, I get it. But, pulling them out of the baby's hands is bad form.

Temper tantrum #3

R: Is it a t.v. day?
D: No, it was a t.v. day yesterday.
R: No, it wasn't. It wasn't.
D: Remember we watched Angelina Ballerina together and she spilled the what was it?
R: The dinner. No, we didn't watch t.v. yesterday.

Repeat these exact words for five minutes. Make sure they are said with a long whine.

On the one hand, this is totally easy for me because we have the policy in place, and I am not giving in. On the other hand, denying reality/lying makes me insane.

Temper tantrum #4

R: I want Daddy to fix my cups.
J: After you have some breakfast.
R: No, now!

Repeat this sequence for five minutes. See John's stress level climb.

Temper tantrum #5

R: My vitamin is supposed to go on the table not the plate. Mommy put it in the wrong place.
D: You can fix it then.

Often we cater to our little obsessive compulsive child, but it wasn't happening this morning.

Temper tantrum #6

Rose is now actually sitting at the table with her breakfast in front of her. I am sitting next to her with my back turned to her as I eat my breakfast and feed David.

R: Mommy, read me a story.
D: I would be happy to read both those stories after you have four bites of tofu spread.
R: No. Read it now.
D: Four bites.
R: No. Two.
D: You could have two bites of tofu spread and two of muffin.
R: No.
J: What if she had two drinks of orange juice and two bites of tofu spread?
D: I'll think about it.



Of course, it was all one big problem. Needing to pee? Hungry? The phase of the moon? I really don't know what that problem was. And by seeming to recover in between fits, we got tricked into thinking we could solve each one somehow.

In all fairness, she was absolutely delightful the rest of the day.