meltdown

Moms unite! (OK Dads, Aunt's, Uncle's, Grandma, Grandpa's, cousins etc. come join too.) We need to stand strong against the Temper tantrum!

Knighton may never talk to me again after this post but I gotta tell, I just gotta. My kids have been spoiled in the fact that they get to watch movies at bedtime on the weekend. So much that they feel entitled to this privilege. I am not sure how this happened other than laziness on my part. Oh how much easier can it be to get them to bed at 8:00 (or even 7 on a really bad day) than to plop in a movie and say goodnight. how sweet the sound of silence is after a full day of arguing, and believe me Knighton and Jessica have bickering down to an art. Elijah is king of whining and even Allyson has perfected the "awww" after being told no. Of course the reward for this behavior is "watching a movie to bed" as we call it in our house. Prefect logic right. OK I know every love and logic parent out there is cringing right now.

Anyway, last weekend I had the kids down to "bed" with the usual delay tactics one of which was Knighton telling me his DVD was not working right. I told him I was sorry and he needed to go back downstairs. In frustration I yelled "next!" Christina, Audrey and Megan were over playing SkipBo with me and got a big laugh at that because we all knew it would be only a matter of time when we saw the next child.

It didn't take long until we heard a cry from Elijah as he came up the stairs. When asked what was wrong, he said Knighton had stepped on his tummy. Next step, I had Knighton come up and talk to me in another room. He was angry that his DVD wasn't working and decided Elijah would make a good target for his frustration and stomped on him. (though I am sure he would have chosen who ever was closest) I started to lose my temper and realized that was a bad example especially at this moment so I counted to 10 (or maybe 3) and started over.

I said I was sorry that he couldn't sleep in the toy room with Elijah and Jessi and to go to his room. You would have thought I stomped him. he wailed all the way down the stairs and gave me more opportunities to try love and logic. I told him to cry louder. love and logic says to egg your kids on and maybe they will defy you and stop.(my words not theirs) And it defiantly lightens the mood.

He cried like that for 30 min, sounding like a car trying to start and a polar bear after their 1:00 swim. I decided I had had enough and calmly asked if he would do me a favor. He said yes and I asked him to close his door. oops, the cry came out ten fold. Eventually he was out. The next day his voice cracked and he was a little sore but still alive and whole.

The moral for all those who are united with me;
Stay strong, lighten the mood anyway possible and all will end... eventually