Could just about curl up and cry

[ailbhe]

We have an invitation to go play at someone else's house today, and I want to go, and Linnea wants to go, but Emer is asleep and Linnea won't get dressed. We're pretty much too late to go now - yes, I have called to say so - and in about twenty minutes Linnea will come downstairs, still without her shoes and socks on, and want to know why it's too late to go, and she'll cry and wake Emer up, and bah.

If Linnea was being cooperative rather than wanting to have her cake and eat it too, I could put a sleeping Emer on my back and walk us all round the corner. But she's not.

And it will, later, be All My Fault.

Again.

... that's my job.

Comments

[the0lady.livejournal.com]

I think this is one for the doctrine of pre-emption: march up there right now and have a cry at Linnea about how you really wanted to go out and play but now it's too late.

I'm not saying it'll, like, *work* or anything. But you'll get to curl up and cry, *and* it'll be funny later.

*hugs*

[ex-serenejo.livejournal.com]

This feels like an amusing but *really bad* idea to me. :-)

[ailbhe]

I did a variant of this (because the original would be satisfying but a baaaaaaad precedent) and it worked beautifully, thank you.

That is, we're still not out, but we didn't have a screaming tantrum. Neither of us.

[the0lady.livejournal.com]

-- "we didn't have a screaming tantrum"

Result! =)

[tiggsybabes.livejournal.com]

Sounds familiar :/

[kightp.livejournal.com]

Yup. Because you've got a grown-up brain that understands actions and consequences, and Linnea's got a child-sized brain that's all about limitless possibilities. The "consequences" brain bits, alas, don't get fully developed until the late teens-mid-20s.

Which explains so much about teenagers, but you probably don't want to go there yet...

[ailbhe]

When I first read about that, years ago, I briefly thought that it might be a good excuse never to provide realistic consequences for a child's actions...

... damn.

[ex-serenejo.livejournal.com]

If it's any comfort at all, it really does help. That is, she'll be much more conscious of time for a while if it *really* *upsets* *her* that she can't go, even if she directs fault at you. Stay calm. Drink tea. *hugs*

[ailbhe]

I so completely would not be doing it this way otherwise.

[ex-serenejo.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know. *hughug*

[(Anonymous)]

My little guide-son is nearly 6 and he's currently refusing to get dressed. It's very difficult for his mum, as she has a fight to get him dressed and out in time for school every morning. (She is on her own, and has to get to her place of employment once he is in school.)

I suggested that one day she tries taking him to school in his pajamas, (taking his clothes with them, of course) so that he can learn the consequences of refusing to get dressed (feel cold, be laughed at by the other children, etc.) But it's a tricky one.

How do other mums cope with this?

Elaine

[ailbhe]

We discussed this lately at BfN - the Health Visitor and one of the tutors had both taken a child to school in pyjamas. Once each. Apparently one doesn't need to do it twice.

[flybabydizzy.livejournal.com]

BTDT - and they never ever forget OR forgive!