Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Trouble Ahead

Pumpkin has always been strong-willed.

That is actually a bit of an understatement. She is downright stubborn. When she was about six weeks old, it was not uncommon for her to have a full screaming meltdown because I'd guessed she was hungry, when in fact she was tired and hungry. She needed a nap before she would eat. In fact, one of these screaming meltdowns reduced me to tears on my first birthday as a Mommy. My parents and sister were over, and we tried to go to a park near our home for a picnic. Pumpkin was getting a little hungry by the time we got ourselves organized, but the park was only a few minutes away by car, and I chose to bundle Pumpkin into her car seat rather than delay another 20 minutes at home to nurse her. This was a mistake. By the time we got to the park, she wanted nothing to do with nursing, and screamed through the first half of the picnic. Hubby finally bounced her to sleep. She woke up from her nap happier and hungry, I nursed her, and then everything was good.

Clearly, the fact that she can now throw a reasonably good tantrum should not be a surprise to me, but somehow, I just wasn't prepared for it when she started throwing herself on the ground and wailing when I refuse to give her her umpteenth graham cracker* for the day or won't take her outside to swing for the thirty-second time. These tantrums are short lived and not too serious, and really more funny than annoying. I doubt that this will last.

I don't think I'm ready for the sort of parenting that will soon be required of me.

*Our doctor has greatly increased the harmony in our home by saying that she wouldn't limit Pumpkin's graham cracker intake. Pumpkin is on the small size for her age, so the doctor says she can eat as much as she wants of anything she likes. Which is pretty much graham crackers.

4 comments:

  1. I find it MUCH better dealing with tantrums and meltdowns than a baby who won't sleep... you'll be fine.

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  2. Elli went through a tantrum phase, I guess about 14 months, where she slammed her head into things...like cupboards, or the tile floor...then started to cry in earnest because it hurt! Luckily her hair was long enough to cover the bruises...that was hard. She's not doing it so much anymore, maybe because we didn't really respond to it (at least not in the way she wanted...we just picked her up and rocked her until she calmed down). Thank god, cause it was scary.

    TodayWendy

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  3. I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds it funny! At least for now. I'm sure it's gonna get worse, and I will find it less funny. I plan to re-read the Playful Parenting book's sections on tantrums, cause I'm not sure my naturual instincts are the best for dealing with them. Ugh.

    Good luck to you navigating your way through those fun times!

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  4. Ah, graham crackers. We buy them in bulk. And I can't count the number of times mothering has made me cry, and hooo-boy, I know that particular baby temperament *very* well. Rock on, wandering scientist, rock on ...

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