Well that topped them all. Atty has pitched some big ol' fits in his time, being a redhead and all... but this took the cake. And was all the more embarrassing because he's six for crying out loud! Let me set the scene for you.
I should start by mentioning that he's been really argumentative and basically difficult lately. Not sure what that's all about. It could be diet related, usually is. He is my only kid that doesn't seem to be able to figure out that fit throwing and arguing will get you nothing in this family. I have stood my ground every single time, but he keeps trying. He's persistent I tell yah.
So anyways we went to the library on the way home from the Skagit Valley Learning Center on Monday. {Which I just have to tell you about as soon as I get around to it, ha ha!} Each of the kids get to pick out five books, I had the kid I nanny for there too, so that's a lot of books when you tally it all up! Last time Atty had accidentally grabbed six and so I told all the kids that they could get six that time, not as a regular thing. Well Atty immediately comes up to me with his arms full of books and tells me he wants six. He always wants to change it just a little bit. I told him no, that the normal rule is five and he would have to put some back {he had somewhere around eight or so} and the fuss was on! I felt it building and I knew is was going to be a doozy. But rules are rules and I'm a stickler. With a lot of kids you need order or you get chaos. I do not function well in chaos. Plus he was being really rude, and things are just not up for discussion in those cases. He was taking forever and getting more and more worked up so I told him that he could quickly figure it out on his own, or I would do it for him, or he could get no books at all. He worked it down to the last two, put one in the bag then freaked out and changed his mind. So I took that one out and let him put the other one in the bag. His thanks to me was to start freaking out all over again about how he wanted six books. So out his books came, on to the return shelf they went, and away I marched. He followed me through the library, up to the check out counter, wailing "I want six books, I want six books" the whole way. I wasn't about to punish the well behaved kids by leaving with out books so I got to sweat it out while the librarian checked out all 24 books {only bright side, I got some books too}. Everyone, and I mean everyone in that library was staring at us. I'm a shy and generally quiet person when I'm out and about. I have to say I just wanted to be swallowed up. Wanted to crawl into a bed and pull the covers over my head. Wanted to bang my head against a brick wall {not really I had a headache} because I mean really!?! Really!?! All because I said five books instead of six... good night! There is no reasoning with him when he gets worked up, he just repeats the same thing over and over again. It's absolutely maddening. So I totally and completely ignored him, and all the eyeballs as best I could, finished checking out the books and walked out. All the while with a wailing red head following behind {and four other obedient children, thank goodness, I think they were as mortified as I was}. I think I might have had steam coming out of my ears on the walk back to the Suburban. Angry doesn't even cover it! Of course by the time we get out there, he's basically done. He's calmed down enough to realize what a mess he's made of it. Now I want to pitch a fit!!! My kids are normally so well behaved, I mean seriously well behaved. About 95% of the time I'm insanely proud of their behavior... and 100% of the time I love them for who they are, even if they drive me crazy at times. :) Getting back to Atty though, he's a wild card that kid. Never can tell what will set him off, and once he's started it's like he becomes a broken record. The only way to snap him out of it is to get him out of the situation and have him spend some time alone to calm down. It doesn't work to stay with him, because that generally just keeps him going. Must not engage, learned that early on. He went through an awful phase around three years old where I really had to reinforce that he will get nothing when he throws fits. It did make a difference, but they still happen from time to time. Every once and a while one erupts and takes me by surprise. Lately it's been happening more often. Too often. But once he gets it out of his system he's a smiley sweet boy again, that says "yes mom" and "I love you" for no reason. One who is ready and willing to cheerfully help me. I'm the one left having a hard time getting over it. Which makes me feel bad. Forgive and forget and all that. But lately I feel like I'm on this emotionally roller coaster with him and it's not fun. Not that anyone ever said that parenting was always fun, ha ha! I hope we can get something figured out so that we can get back on track though. I'm starting to worry that he will still be throwing fits when he's twelve. Egads!
Now that I'm out of the situation it is sort of funny looking back. I mean at least it was a fit over books, and not toys at the store or something. Ha ha! Wonder how many times that has happened, a kid leaving the library crying "I want books, I want books!"
