AnchorMommy

Tantrums? What tantrums?

July 21, 2009 by Shannon

Okay, I am typing this with one hand and knocking on the wooden kitchen table as I write this:

The tantrum train has stopped. 

There has been no Attack of the Killer Tantrum — at least not yet. (I was nervous that by making this admission, the crying sessions would return. Hopefully knocking on wood will prevent such a change in luck. I also have my fingers and toes crossed, just for good measure.) 

I don’t know what happened. A few short days ago, it seemed anything and everything would set off a screaming session — a dropped spoon, dressing Kellan in plaid shorts instead of red ones…even snacktime. I couldn’t even turn his mood around with the promise of swimming at a local pool. It was that bad.

Lately, nearly every response I get from Kellan is “Okay, Mommy” or “Ohhhh! Okay!” And by some miracle, I even derailed a tantrum-in-the-making when we had to leave the house. I simply asked Kellan if he’d like to take a special toy in the car with him. He went from, “But I don’t WAAAANT to go in the car!” to “Oh. Yeah.” And off he went to find his Little People toys.

You know, this just reaffirms what I’ve come to realize about parenthood. Just when you think you have a kid figured out, they change up their game. I just hope the momentum doesn’t swing back in Kellan’s favor. The time outs are killing me.