All Good Things Come To An End

I knew it wouldn't last. I always appreciated what a good thing I had. It was great while it lasted. The one (and I DO mean one) battle I rarely have with my kids is about sleeping. Sara napped until she was 5 then had quiet time until she was 6. Being a STAH mom of a chatty 6 year old made quiet time necessary for our survival. It was the ONLY time all day she was quiet.

I dropped Christian off at preschool this morning and brought home little Chucky. In the 30 minutes between preschool pickup and nap time, he threw 3 off-the-charts, crazy, over-the-top hissy fits. His first fit was because I didn't immediately greet him with a FULL bag of "bones" (Scooby Doo graham crackers). I offered the implausible suggestion of eating the 4 bones in the bag and getting more at home. I was rewarded with a screaming child as company for the whole ride home. His screams being ignored, he threw the bag on the floor. His next fit was because, after sitting on the potty with no 'outcome' for 10 minutes, I suggested he eat lunch and try again. Never before in my 7 years of parenting have I come up with such a ridiculous idea. Wailing and sobbing ensued. It took this boy 3.5 years to get remotely interested in potty and now I cannot get this kid off the toilet. He is Archie Bunker and Al Bundy combined. If he ever wore pants at home, he would have his little hand down them. It isn't even the thrill of using the big kid potty that has him hooked. Nope, this boy is in it for the junky little toy cars he scores. I have created a monster. Will poop for matchbox cars. Won't leave the potty until he has a hot rod in his hot little hands.

I sat him at the table in front of his lunch. He continued to cry and fuss. I read a magazine and ignored him. After 5 minutes of temper tantrum, I took away his food. Realizing it may be 2 whole hours before his next meal, he decided to eat. Potty and food taken care of, nap time has approached. Guess what? More crying, wailing, sobbing and flailing occurred. I carried him upstairs, kicking and screaming, changed him into pajamas and offered bedtime books. He refused. So, I put him in bed. He defiantly declared that he also didn't want any songs. Huh? Seriously? Ok, I put him in bed, kissed him and left. He continued to cry. (This boy always declares he is NOT tired but never, ever fusses at bedtime) He actually cried for 10 minutes. I know this is not a tragedy. But, this is weird for my kid. Like me, my kids love their sleep. My kids put up plenty of struggles over listening, turning off the TV, cleaning up toys, placing nicely with each other, putting coats and shoes on to leave. But, bedtime is rarely a struggle. I'm not sure what got into him today but I hope it was a one time deal. By the time he fell asleep, I was ready to cry and fall asleep, too.