How to plan a tantrum

[sgmom]

So we're at Costco the other night, and our daughter found a large ride-on truck that she liked. We decided she could have it, so we let her push it around the store. She very happily pushed it far down an isle, so I told my husband to not go after her and she will turn around and follow us (he always follows, she runs, he chases, etc). She did stop and turn around, but she wanted him to come get her. When he gently tried to get her to come to us, she decided to show us how she felt.

She had a couple items in her hand at the time, so she stopped and looked around for somewhere to put them. Then she decided that her new truck needed to be moved as well, to make space for her mini tantrum. A customer commented on how nice it was that she was putting things away, but I said "No, she's just making room to show us how she feels".

The whole thing took a solid half a minute for her to be happy with the room she made, then she raised her hands, and slammed herself onto all fours with a loud fire truck siren-like wail. Of course my husband had to go get her (laughing the whole way there), and it didn't help that people had stopped to watch this whole dramatic event unfold.

"Excuse me please. I have to put this can of soup away. And can you please move as well? The truck is in my way, and I have to make space."

The funny part is that she somehow bit her bottom lip (I'm not sure how, as she never puts her head to the ground), and was now crying (for real) about her fat lip, but was still very insistent about pushing her new truck to the check out line.

It's funny how people comment on how cute your kids are when they're being loud.

When we got home, she decided to throw herself down again (I forget why), but when she started to do it on the hardwood, she stopped herself and walked calmly to the carpet to do it there.

Ah, kids.

[Limabean1975]

Ha ha ha! OMG, that is AWSOME.

[canadianhippie]

lol thats adorable, in a way haha, she prepares her space, so cute, good on ya for having a light hearted attitude about it! Costco is champion for tantrums, ive seen so many

[titania8]

I was wondering what on earth one would need to 'plan a tantrum' for! I like your perspective- showing you how she feels (vs. "throwing a fit").

[sapphire_chan]

: for you that it's a prelude to just calmly talking about how she feels instead of needing to express it physically!

(: for me that we get to your stage soonish.)

[meemee]

awwwwwww that is sooo adorable. the title i must say intrigued me.

yup yup. that's why playful parenting works so well with us. if it is somethign casual she is laughing in a minute. otherwise she gets madder.

omg like your dh i would be laughing too when he went to get her.

[sgmom]

It takes a very conscious effort not to laugh EVERY time she does it. It's so horribly "fake" (I use that word loosely), and she's so OBVIOUSLY not in any emotional pain. Sometimes at the dinner table she'll politely push her plate aside, then her water, and make sure the area is clear, so she can slam her hands down on the table (the same way she does on the floor). There's never any tears, and it's always over as quickly as it began. She just found a way that seems to work for her (I guess) to express herself when she strongly dislikes the way something is working for her.

The "Happiest toddler" method works VERY nicely when she does this. Sometimes she just won't let go. "Did you see me on the floor mom? Watch me again", and when I slam myself into the ground the way she did and yell "I don't WANT to sit in that chair! I DON'T WANT TO! (or whatever the problem was), she INSTANTLY stops and smiles at me. Then I can be all parent-like and say something like "I know that you don't want to, but it's important that you do it anyway because" of whatever reason... or whatever explanation the situation calls for at that time.

But the "tantrum" (I hesitate to call it that, but I guess that's what it really is)... omg. I need to catch that on video.

That was just the first time she's done it in public is all. I thought it was hilarious.