Monday, February 22, 2010

Toddler Tantrums

Just so you know that it's not all sweetness and light around here, I will give you a glimpse of what happens, at times. Zoey had Kate put on quite a show the other day. It was so bad that I eventually went to get the camera. Sadly, it's hard to tell by the photos the intensity of the weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth and stomping of feet.

It all started after we left a restaurant that was handing out balloons. Obviously, we could not take eight balloons home in the car, so I made a deal with the kids. We would take four and they had to share. They all agreed.

Until....

We got home.

Zoey and Kate could not grasp the concept of sharing their balloon. First Zoey threw a fit because Kate wouldn't share. Me, weary of hearing about the stupid balloon all the way home in the car, and who was and was not sharing, told Kate to hand it to Zoey for a minute. Kate had to take her coat off anyway, for Pete's sake.

Kate grudgingly handed it over, took her coat off with uncharacteristic speed, and then both girls disappeared.

Seconds later, loud wails erupted from Zoey. Kate had repossessed the balloon.

Argh.

In a moment of parental exasperation, I strode over to Kate and said, "OK, neither of you are getting to play with this, since you can't share." And I took the balloon away.

I was unprepared for the intensity of the hysteria that followed. Oh.My.Word. It was so ridiculous. They were screeching and kicking their feet on the floor. Jeff heard them screaming and he was out in the garage! Taylor pulled his ear phones out and came to check it out. It was hard for him to avoid smirking.

I must admit that it was so loud and absurd that even I busted out laughing. This only increased their rage.

They were told that they needed to take themselves up to their rooms and get in bed for naps, since they couldn't control themselves and were acting in an unacceptable manner. They continued their loud chorus of Hysteria up the stairs, which is when I decided to get the camera.

Kate was tiring, and could only manage a loud, fake moan-like cry


Zoey was still quite torked over the unfairness of the entire situation

And the irony of the whole thing is this: The house we are renting has a very high ceiling in the family room. It goes up two stories or so. Guess where the balloon ended up? SaraGrace also lost her very cool, princess balloon that I bought her at the hospital last week. We now have a balloon graveyard in our family room. Sad.


I'm thinking the Princess mylar balloon might be up there until summer.