One Minute of Glory

As to be expected, when grandparents leave, temper tantrums ensue. I’m not exactly sure why, but it happens every time for at least the next three days. Last night, Gabriela was tired and was throwing a mother load. She was at the point where she would say, “I want the pony book” and I’d go to give her the pony book when she would demand the princess book. I would go to give her the princess book and she would demand the pony book. I let this go on for about four turns when I gave her one last opportunity to make a choice without changing her mind. She chose the pony book. I gave it to her and she screamed at me she wanted something else. I ignored her like I said I would when she behaves like that and sat in the living room to give Colton his milk and sing him his songs.

I gave her a one minute warning before her reading time was over and she came, still screaming, into the living room demanding her other book. I calmly explained that I was not giving her another book, she was not to ask me for it again and that she had one minute before lights out. I said, “It’s your choice what you do with your minute. You can either stand her screaming at me for one minute or you can actually go read for your last minute.” She asked me for her other book again and I told her she needed to go to her room and sit on her bed with the books she had. She told me, “You said it’s my choice!! I-DON’T-WANT-TO-READ!! I WANT TO STAND HERE AND SCREAM AT YOU FOR ONE MINUTE!!!” Huh. I did say that didn’t I? In case you are wondering, she did in fact stand there and scream at me for an entire minute (while I turned my head to the side and laughed).