Ok, ok, so I said in my snow man blog that I wish EVERY Wednesday could be like today. I need to clarify. What I meant is that I wish every Wednesday could be like the HOUR Kaitlyn and I spent outside playing in the snow.
The rest of the day, from basically the time we got up until now the time when I am trying to get Kaitlyn to go to bed, stay in bed, and go to sleep I have been reminded what a skillful backwards counter I am. FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO… as I count down Kaitlyn’s final seconds before heading to time out. She has managed to stay out of time out all day… no, I take that back. She has managed to only end up in time out once today. Somehow. She probably deserved it about a half a dozen times.
Listening is not Kaitlyn’s strong point right now. The result is that driving me crazy is her strong point right now. It took us an hour to get ready to go outside and play because she wouldn’t take her tights off her head and actually get dressed. I kept trying to walk away from her because she was making me so mad, but she kept following me, distressing me with her tights-covered noggin.
At one point this morning, I got so frustrated with her I put her in time out for talking back to me then I sat on the floor and cried. I thought it wasn’t the best move I’ve ever made, but maybe she needs to see that she pushes her Mommy to the point of being that upset. She brought me a mimi. She brought me a book and sat on my lap. And as soon as we agreed we were going to get along and listen… she started back in with the tights on her head and the refusal to behave. I try… oh how I try… to prioritize the things I’m going to get upset about. But not listening to me… blatantly ignoring me… that I cannot CANNOT stand. If you don’t want to play in the snow, fine. But if you do want to play in the snow, then one must get dressed for it. Tights do not go on your head. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
Excuse me, I just had to pause for a countdown to return Kaitlyn to her bed.
Her new thing is to try to distract you by saying oh, I just want to give you a big hug and a kiss. Yes, hugs and kisses are nice. But when used as a ploy to try to make Mom or Dad forget the offense that has initiated the countdown… well that’s just abuse of one’s power. And it’s not ok. Just now, I heard her get out of bed. I heard her walk this way. I said, If I look up and you’re standing there, you’re in trouble. I looked up and she smiled and said oh, I just wanted to give you a big hug and a kiss. argh.
Earlier tonight, I agreed to play her new game with her. I gave her a little kids dominoes game for her birthday. Leap Frog claims that it’s for a child as young as three. Only if that child’s parent likes beating his or her head against a wall. She grasped the whole match the square with a square, a star with a star, concept. But as for listening to and following instructions for actual play… well, forget it. That lasted maybe 10 minutes before I was so frustrated I picked up all the pieces and put the game away. I may be willing to take it out again sometime before she is 12. But, then again, maybe not.
Guess who is standing at the doorway wanting to give you a big hug and a kiss. I’m going to invent bedtime pajamas. They are sewn directly into the sheets. That way, the kid can’t get up.
I do not know how single parents handle it. Tonight is turning into one very long night because Bill is out at a business dinner. On a Wednesday. (remember, there’s no school on Wednesdays. It’s not a holiday. It’s an inexplicable French school calendar) Since she woke up at 8 this morning, it’s been no one but Kaitlyn and Mommy. And Mommy needs a break. Instead… looks like I’m going to go back and try to get Kaitlyn to go to sleep.