Damnit, if this is a phase, please let it pass quickly.
I want to meet the person who coined the phrase "This too shall pass". And I want to smack him upside the head. With a three year old.
This Sweet Child 'O Mine is in a rare mood. If you can call it a mood. If it was a mood, it'd be over by now. Yes?
Nah!
Gah!
It's like someone flipped the switch. She turned three and grew some balls. I can appreciate her Chutzpa but holy shit on a hot dog bun! Nothing makes her happy. She breaks into hysterics over literally, the drop of a (cowboy) hat. She yells at us and talks back. So, so snotty. I can literally see her ovaries and uterus forming into the very thing that will make her such an emotional pre-teen, teenager then woman. Oh! the horror.
Her vocabulary is almost freakish and she doesn't even think twice to yell, "I'm pissed off because Nana doesn't have Noggin." Or, "I won't talk to anyone and turn down that music volume!" The best is, "Snack and water, snack and water!" Like "Gunga Din, fetch me my water!"
It has been slowly brewing for about two weeks. I was wondering why I feel like running away and never coming back. I couldn't figure out why we have been butting heads. Arguing, and just not getting along. My relationship with my daughter felt soiled, uneasy and tense. I've been walking on eggshells and my poor feet are'a gettin' tired.
But this past week explained a lot. Usually, when F is getting sick, she is unbearably whiny. Intolerable. Torture. Then she gets sick and returns to her normal, cheerful self after the bug has left her body. However, this time, I believe the bug is gone but the sweet little princess has yet to return.
She threw up on Wednesday, has been off (read: constipated) since but Saturday she got Valentine's candy from her Nana. She wanted to eat it and much to my dismay, chomped happily on her new chocolates. I said quite calmly, "Fafa, you haven't been feeling well, and your stomach isn't right." She looked me straight in the eye and retorted, "I feel better noooo-oooow!" My mother-in-law almost tipped over. What a bitch. How dare she talk to me like that. And what did I do? Nada. Nothing. I looked at her in amazement and moved on.
What the hell am I supposed to say to that?
She has been back talking all weekend. To me. To BD. Even to poor, innocent Dog. So today, a new leaf.
Time outs for any unacceptable behavior.
This includes but is not limited to: yelling at me, demanding shit all day long without a please or thank you, whining, tantrums out of the blue, sarcasm, snotty behavior, hitting/tormenting the dog or me, biting or pulling things out of my hands.
I am not kidding. I need to put my foot down. I must nip this 'flower' in the bud before she totally takes control and has me cowering in the friggin' corner. Don't laugh it almost happened.
What a friggin' beyatch.
And if one more person tells me that this will pass...they better duck.
16 comments:
Here's hopin' for a better day once you pull out the big guns!
(I can't comment with my link here anymore...)
ok, I won't say it.
My princess just turned 4, and she used to be REAL bad, just like your daughter. And she did get better (not perfect). A lot of standing in the corner and threatening within an inch of her life...lol
Keep up with the discipline, and keep up with the prayers.
And I got duct tape and some wine. Come on over.
What I enjoyed the most about this post was your use of the word Chutzpa. :)
Steve~
You're RIGHT! It won't pass unless you keep doing what you've vowed to do! Confront it head on... full steam ahead! ANY infractions have consequences... then we'll see who's boss! All I'll say is that it takes time... won't happen overnight... but she'll soon realize (when she stops getting snacks) maybe it's time to remember our manners. Good Luck J -- Keep us posted! (No pun intended... well maybe a little.)
Kudos for getting to the point of time outs (or whatever discipline of choice altho spanking freaks me out I try not to judge).
We have yet to use anything on Becca, yet listening to you describe your princess's new attitude is like a window into our future. We just started with the "NO WAY" come back and let me tell you, it does nto impress me much!
We all have limits and SF is testing yours. Make the boundaries what YOU feel are appropriate. She will fall in line ... or be perpetually in time out. .. . one way or another you get what you need form her.
I'm high fivin' you!
Well, I hope time out works!
How exactly does someone "talk back" to a dog, by the way?
My middle daughter is sixteen and sounds a lot like your little one, the similarities are striking. I won't say this too will pass, because she'll probably be the same way when she's a teenager. Just hold on, it's kind of a wild ride. Word to the wise, alcohol, for you, not her.
Oh no, I'm not going to tell you it will pass, its going to mature & get worse! LOL
I've got an almost 5yo & 8 1/2 y.o. who get that way now & then. It sucks. They suck. Sometimes.
Poor Artie! Here's my idea - and I am not a mom - so take it for what it's worth... Time out for SF and -for you?? well - head to that play with the nekkid guys again. Won't that help???
UNfortunately, that sounds bout' right. My oldest got like that at 3. It took YEARS to take care of, cuz she was quite spoiled until we realized what we were creating (read:MONSTER). She's much better now. It's hard I know, but just try to keep your cool. She WANTS to press your buttons and set you off. When she does, she's satisfied. Keep your cool whenever possible. And keep your word. Once you say it, do it! End of discussion. That's the hard part!!!! Once she sees you mean business, she may fight for a little while, but you're bigger and you can stay up later (nah! nah!) and you can wait it out longer than she can!
Thanks for reminding me that three is way worse than two...let's go get our tubes tied!!!!
Don't worry I won't tell you it will pass because it probably won't. It didn't in my house. My first born was like that and I also was a coward because it was easier than dealing with her mouth and tantrums. She's now 8 and can be a handful. I'm now paying for my cop out. My advice to you is to nip that shit in the bud now. I wish I had. I also wish someone would have given me some parenting advice. I had no clue.
What fun.
I am still clinging to the belief that my little one will be a perfectly behaved angel.
Yes, I know. But one can dream.
I think I'm w/ "cece"...
especially when they hit that magic age of 16! I yi yi!
I feel your pain. I have a three year old who tried that attitude with me a few weeks back.
We did the time outs, and they worked for awhile, but the next day the demon would return. I was about ready to kick him to the curb and then decided to kneel down, got eye-to-eye, took a strong hold of his arms and told him that his behavior was unacceptable. I then told him that I was done talking with him until he could be nice. I'm not sure what smart-ass three-year-old remark he made, because I promptly turned around and left the room. He followed and for the next 30 minutes or so (felt like a week) he tried to get my attention and I completely ignored him as if he didn't exist. He eventually started crying. I ignored. After I felt like he'd had enough, I told him that I loved him very much but was very disappointed in his behavior and that if he talked to me that way again, I would again leave the room and not listen to him. This was out of desperation, but it worked. And every time he said something nice, or answered me nicely, I praised him and told him that I was proud of the way he was talking, that he was acting like a big boy, etc. His little angel self is back. For the moment ...
Post a Comment