Baby Steps into Toddlerhood

As mentioned before, Ramona is working on walking. It really hits it home that she'll be a toddler soon. Another, less endearing reminder? Her insane temper tantrum today.

When I got home from work I was in a bad mood. Joe, being the awesome guy in the universe, offered to get pizza and some beers to cheer me up. When he got back, we ate pizza, and I let Ramona have a few bites. Then she saw the little containers of cheese and peppers. She always grabs them and makes a huge mess and it's really obnoxious. So, as soon as I saw her grabbing for them, I said, "Ramona. No!" She looked at me then grabbed for one anyway. I took it out of her hand and said, "No," again. She started crying. I said, "Sorry, kid. You don't get to fake cry and then get whatever you want. That's not how it works." She tried again and I said no again. Her cry turned into a squeal and her face turned red and tear started streaming down her face. I gave her some pizza and she stopped crying. Every time she made eye contact with me for the next few minutes she would start crying again.

So I picked her up and kissed her and told her I love her and that I'm not mad at her, but when I say no, she has to stop. I set her down and we were done. Then we ate pizza together and she was fine. But it was the first of what I fear will be many meltdowns. I had a pretty big temper when I was a kid. I mellowed out as I got older, and I think I'm fairly laid back now, but I used to be able to kick and scream and rip out my hair with the best of them. Unfortunately, it looks like she takes after me with that.

The weird part is being on the other side of it. As the adult, I kind of felt bad. I know better than to give into her, and don't intend to do so because she needs to learn to behave correctly and respect authority, but it's pretty hard to see her get so upset and not do anything about it. I guess all I can do is help her learn how to deal with her emotions and make sure she knows I am not going to be manipulated by some tears and a pouty lip.