Picture the scene...
I woke up early this morning and nursed my baby boy. I decided to save time I would get him dressed before laying him back down. So after I finished feeding him, I dressed him and laid him back down. One kid done! Then I immediately went down and woke Reagan and Dakota up. They got themselves dressed and went up and ate breakfast. Two more kids down! Meanwhile Oakley wakes up and shows me what she wants to wear.
I'm thinking to myself, "Man, we are off to a good start! I'll bet we will even make it to the gym extra early today :)."
I proceeded to pull out the skirt she wants to wear and notice that among the clothing she has chosen are the leggings that she wore yesterday and last night to bed. They were dirty, and I wasn't about to let her wear them again today. I understand all about choices, but I draw the line at dirty clothing. Well, needless to say, this didn't go over very well. She had a screaming fit for the next several minutes (like 15).
So, here I am facing this dilemma... do I give in so we can get going on time? (today was our turn to drive kids to school) Or do I hold my ground and take her with in her underwear? (she was refusing to get dressed without the leggings) I chose option two. I grabbed a long jacket for her to wear so she wouldn't be standing there in only her underwear, but she just threw it.
The look on my friend's face when we opened the van door was priceless. As I pulled away from her house I began to doubt myself. Was I a tyrant for not giving in to her tantrum? Or had I done the right thing? She literally screamed all the way picking up kids, all the way taking them to school and all the way home again. It was a pleasant ride.
The good news is we got the kids to school on time. What was interesting was right when we got home she went straight inside, quit crying and got dressed without another word and proceded to eat her breakfast. If only we could all get over our own tantrums so easily. I guess exploding like that wouldn't be such a good thing though ;)
1 week ago
3 comments:
Way to stand your ground! You are a great mom and I am so glad we are friends.
You did the right thing! I had a similar event with Zachary. He wouldn't get dressed so I told him he couldn't go to the bus stop to take Savannah. I left him in the house and when I got back he was dressed and said, "I'm ready now!" I explained that his actions we too little too late. However, he has never refused to get dressed to go to the bus stop since. He is ready and willing. Here's to holding your ground! You did the right thing!
Wow! Did she cave? That would have been a photo moment. (I am still laughing:)
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