Ruskin had an early morning meeting so I had the kids. We all slept late as sleep has been in short supply. All three of us were in the bed and did not open our eyes after Ruskin left until 9 am. But then, as is often the case, a child wanted the MIA parent. So R spent a considerable time being unhappy that Dad was not there. Hmmm. Not much I could do about that one. So K and I trooped along on our early morning getting ready routine while the other one rolled around in the bed wanting Daddy. Finally, everyone got downstairs where more whining ensued. The great thing about a toddler is that they are mynah birds. K copies a lot of whatever R does or exhibits empathy but she has not figured out how to whine exactly as he does... yet. Her attempts at whining were rather amusing and kept me from getting too frustrated with the older one. Breakfast was fine overall with everyone eventually getting out the door. The whininess did not disappear unfortunately. Both picked out books to take to school. K picked one that plays "This Old Man" when you press a button. R picked Punk Farm on Tour.
Dropping K off around 11 was kind of funny as all the kids were already in the foyer cooling down and quieting down for lunch time. K went straight to her old cubby and i had to show her her new cubby. she was upset until she realized that she did have a new one and that i was not just denying her the old one. She saw Tricia which made things a lot better for transitioning. She was very excited about showing Tricia her book and several kids had already gathered to hear the song before R and I were out the door. In Bungalow E, things were not as smooth. The other kids were clearly outside doing water play as there were stacks of clothes on the cubby. R did not want to change his clothes and go outside. So when I finally got him convinced that this might be fun, Kathy came and told me that they were heading in. Up went the pants and underwear, but now there was disappointment that we were not going outside. R and I had a short talk about how it is hard to do everything and this morning he had gotten an extra special treat of staying and snuggling for a few extra hours. Explaining trade-offs is not popular. he seems to understand choices but does not like always like the outcomes. i stayed until enough kids were getting dressed and it was clear that story time was about to begin. His book was first in line and the teacher was excited about it as well. As i was leaving, i peaked in on K who was sitting around in a circle listening to Kelli read a book. She saw me through the window. Previously, this would have led to many tears and unhappiness. Today, she smiled and waved. It was wonderful.
It felt like a long day at work as I had no meetings and could work. When I picked the kids up I was excited about seeing them. R, however, was less cooperative. He and Ezra were playing in the water table on the Engineer side. It was clear that he was not going to be ready to leave right away. And he did the resistance thing -- a high pitched scream, whining, and thrashing. we talked and he quieted down but remained whiny. K on the other hand was walking around the foyer with a bracelet she had made. She was very excited about it and her book.
R continued to whine most of the ride home and the transition to dinner. It stayed during dinner and afterwards. I just don't know what to do beside try to explain why it is not pleasant and give consequences. He asked to start over and I said sure and he was happy for a little while. But I don't understand why it slips back in so easily. K also did her screaming routine. Ruskin took her upstairs when that happened. she is two and sorting through her power relations. I suppose R is too but it is not fun to be on the receiving end. This is the less glamorous end of parenthood. We used divide and conquer as a management strategy. Ruskin handled K and I took R. Everyone ate their dinner and K and Ruskin went next door to check on Lovette the cat. R and I read Dr Seuss while he ate his veggie lasagna.
We all met in the back yard for ice cream and ball. The ball playing was the highlight of the evening. It was definitely nice to see the kids pass the ball back and forth to each other. Perhaps one day they will be able to play together cooperatively. In the meantime there was a lot of parental moderation with pulling one child off the other, directing turn taking, or telling one to stop whining about unfairness. For the most part, it was good to kick and throw the ball around with them. i will post pictures tomorrow.
At bed time, R told me about part of his day which was nice and rare. I had read the class schedule and knew there was going to be a dance party in the afternoon. But R told me on his own without any prompting: "mommy, we danced at school today. we had good music and i moved my body. i did not stop moving my body and moved it EVERYWHERE. It was fun. I danced like a acrobat and I liked the music." he also told me that at nap time he woke up frequently because of the noise. i wonder if that explains some of the crankiness today.
I tried a different strategy tonight with R. We read less in the recliner (also because my cold is making it hard for me read) and let him read more in the bed. he seemed to enjoy that. i came down at 9:30 and i think he if falling asleep closer to 10 instead of 10:30. Ruskin did have to make several water, urine, and blanket trips. but it is almost 10 and things are quiet so some progress overall. Things went well though we did a hit a glitch. R had so much water during his bedtime procrastination that he wet his bed at 11. He was so deep asleep that he only cried for a moment or two. we were able to comfort him quickly and get his sheets changed in about 10 minutes with him deeply sleeping again. whew
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