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Thursday, May 5, 2011

Park Day

 Child Temper Tantrums



There's nothing quite like bringing your child to the park. In my case its a double blessing cause I have two of them. Heading off today we managed out the door with a packed picnic. The weather was gorgeous! Sunny, warm. Hot really when you have a pack and a jacket and are lugging two little ones about 7 or 8 blocks one way.
But the joy! oh the joy on their little faces when at last they see the monkey bars and slides. Yes...the park!.
Like a summer oasis of fun it stands and beckons to children across the neighbourhood. And we, skipping along...well not skipping. .. quickly walking along, return the call.

Oh what bliss to see my toddler climb up on that huge slide. He even goes down on his own, sweeping into my arms at the bottom, and I...well what can I say. Just the best mom in the world for bringing him. Not to brag or anything.

Again he goes up and again and again. By the time he's been up 3 or 4 times he doesn't even need me to catch him. He's got it down pat. Inside I can seem my boy blossoming with confidence and challenge and I feel great.

At one point he goes to a metal play car construct. Playing playing...then to the front and bends down and picks up the wood chips. With a sigh I think...well that was last years fun. But not this year for my boy. He's advanced!
...
no he's not. He proceeded to pick up those wood chips and find more enjoyment in throwing them at other kids then i think he found in the slide. This went on for a while before I headed over and lovingly tried to encourage him to move onto the slide or some other construct he could find to climb on. Not just wood chips!
But instead he fell to the ground in contempt at the idea. How dare you! I could hear him screaming among the babble.
Gently picking him up I brought him over to where my baby was in a seat and sat him on the ground for a time out.
Yes, this super mom has a notty seat anywhere in the world. I can pull them out whenever needed.
Now to give you an idea of the situation my son has 3 levels of screaming. Level one is more like a whine and can drive me crazy over the length of a day.
Level two is an actual scream and crying and usually followed by a fall to the floor tempertantrum. Common among wee ones.
Level 3 is new to me. It just arrived in the mail perhaps a week or so ago. It is the rage of all rages. It has a volume pitch I don't think I could manage on my best day. The message it sends to onlookers - just by the sound of it is - "Someone has just chopped off my arm or my mother is beating me profuslly. Someone call CAS". It really has quite a sound to it.
This level 3 is what came from my childs lungs. And then the baby woke up and here I was, a beautiful day at the park with two children crying like a banshee and thinking...do i leave now? or start the picnic?

In all hopes to save our ratty visit to the park I quick head to a spot for a picnic. Eat eat eat...done.
Whew. Certinly they improved and back we went.
He went back to wood chips and I left him alone on the fact that at least he was happy and it really wasn't "wrong" to play with them. Just dirty.

But the part of the day that happens to ALL moms is when we have to shout the dreaded line.."common...its time to go home!" And then I see the level 3 scream on all ages of kids.

Off home we went. Screaming for one whole block before he just decided to get revenge on my by throwing the blanket out of the wagon every few blocks.

I love my children.

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