Tired and Unhappy.

Screaming fits, tears and meltdowns. That's what today was made of. But there is some silver in the lead lining of today's rain cloud; I've noticed that Roman is quick to recover from his meltdowns and that most of his problems can be solved by the one thing he craves throughout his meltdowns and that is attention.

I've always thought it right to ignore a child who is tired and unhappy - and declaring this through screaming or protesting against wanting chocolate for their lunch - because it allows them to work out their feelings in relative peace, without feeling overwhelmed or being told 'how to be.' Well it turns out that Roman wants me there; needs to know I'm at least watching him and that we're never more than arms length apart. I had my eureka moment when he was begging me over and over for some treat crackers (that he'd been stuffing his face with previously) and he then began to get frustrated that I wasn't allowing him to keep stuffing his face with them.

Our conversation mid-meltdown:

Roman: "WANT CRACKUS (crackers)!" 

Me: "They're all done for today."
Roman: "Want cheese crackus!"
Me: "We don't have cheese, babe. And I don't want you to have more crackers today because you've already ate a lot."

So I sat there, on the floor outside the kitchen, and I watched him unfurl quickly. I offered my arms and he shook his head, he then started to scream for his 'crackus' instead. By this point I'm sure most parents would give in and give their child the crackers but I was trying to head out the door and I felt harassed to get back in time for Roman's dinner, plus with dinner not being too far away I didn't want him to fill up on crackers.

Eventually the frustration lifted and he found his way to my lap where I explained what was happening. After my explanation his bad mood lifted and he stopped begging for food. Of course that all went to pot when Bryan walked in the door and Ro thought he'd try his hand at asking his dad for crackers ;).

This photo? It was when he decided he wanted 'bed.' A missed nap isn't fun.