I dunno if it’s the weather or the moon or all the outdoor activities, but the girls have uncorked some really phenomenal meltdowns lately.
Wednesday night, Vivi, overwrought after squabbling in the bathtub with Julia, got herself into her jammies and then retrieved her favorite hoodie, which was wadded up in the corner of a drawer. Laying it out on the floor to do “the flip” (that kid’s trick of putting on a jacket lying on the floor), she discovered that one sleeve was inside out. Hyperventilating, she demanded that I fix it, which I did – to no avail. She screamed that it was still “inside out” and away we went: crying, falling down, howling that she wanted to put on the hoodie and that she did not want to put on the hoodie, screaming at me for being too close or too far away, yelling at Julia for trying to comfort her or for not trying to comfort her, demanding that we “pway a wittah bit” and then continuing to scream and cry… Twenty minutes later, she finally stumbled her way to Shannon’s lap for the bedtime songs, then came with me, sniffling and groaning, to the nursery for bedtime stories – Green Eggs and Ham, of all things. Ten minutes later, she was sleeping like a log.
Tonight, it was Julia’s turn. Being the more mature sister, she fixed on an actual, as versus an imaginary, situation: her parents’ request that she go downstairs to retrieve the shoes she wanted to wear on Friday. (They needed to be cleaned off!) She refused, and away we went: crying, throwing herself down on her knees, whining about being too tired to go downstairs, complaining that she couldn’t sit on my lap while reading Green Eggs and Ham to Vivi (“Everybody should just scooch over!”), countering my statement that she needed to learn to help herself by screaming that “you need to HELP ME, Daddy!”, responding to my direction that she should use her two functioning legs by screaming that “Mama has two legs, so she should go get them for me!” After much bargaining, she agreed to go downstairs with me and to carry the shoes back up. Sniffling miserably, she did this and then fell into Shannon’s lap for songs. Fifteen minutes later (after reading goddamn Green Eggs and Ham), she was sleeping like a log.
So whose turn will it be on Friday night? I haven’t had a meltdown lately…
Shan says: I know exactly what it is. It’s post-travel hangover. It always takes a week to re-acclimate. Think about it: they had four days of only one nap, and staying up late fussing and moaning about a different bed (Genevieve) or having to listen to the fussing and moaning (Julia). Also: extra sugar, extra individual attention, loads of excitement. They get home, and they’re overwrought.
Shan adds: Oops, I meant four days BUT only one nap (not four days of once-daily naps).
First I have to say – I LOVE reading your blog. It reminds me of that age (which I can’t say I miss – mine two are now 16 and 18) . I’d like to give you with a thought my mom (from Moorhead) shared with me many years ago when my kids were that age. It became my mantra: This too shall pass. (The only problem is – sometimes it passes and is replaced by something worse!) Hang in there.
Sorr – bad grammar – my two, and give you a thought (that’s what happens when you type and correct without reading thoroughly!
You are stirring up my PTSD! The choppers, the choppers!!!!!! I can soooooo relate, and no you can’t possibly win. You can only endure. Make sure you film those tantrums – we show them to ours and it stirs up lots of sympathy for us . . . . now.