Opposition

A few days ago, we were visiting some folks and seated around the dinner table in that slightly “all is good with the world” way after a nice meal when Jessie came up and nuzzled Laureen under her arm.

“Mmmmm. Mommy, you smell good. Like flowers.”

I love Jessie, but every day is turning into a battle with her. She must behave perfectly for everyone else, because when she’s with us, it’s an oppositional struggle over everything.

As much as I don’t want to repeat myself, I find myself telling her to do things over and over again. And then there’s the at least once-per-day breakdown into tears and crying. The hard part is remembering that I’m the parent, and that if I give in to her emotions, she wins the war. And for her own sake, that can’t happen.

So it’s fighting through the stall tactics:
“I’m hungry.”
“I want to watch TV.”
“I want to brush my teeth.”
“I want to read a book.”
“I want to read another book.”

If you’re a parent, you’ve been there. Advice or ways to restore my hair that’s been pulled out appreciated.

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