Tantrums

Let me start by saying that Cal is as sweet as ever lately. He is talking up a storm, loves to give big hugs and manages to crack me up on a daily basis. This morning he and his tiny stuffed kitten crawled into bed with me and showered Marshall and I will kisses from Cal and licks from "Noel" the kitten. I love my boy.

What I'm not loving these days- the tantrums. EPIC tantrums. Now that he can better verbally express his outrage he is taking no time to let us know when something upsets him. And in true toddler fashion, it takes very little to upset him.

A cracker falls on the floor.
The cats don't want their tails pulled.
Someone dares to mumble the word "no".
An ice cube is too cold.
There are too many bubbles in the tub.
Marshall won't lick him on command.
The list goes on and on...

Life is so unfair.

Yesterday Cal had the mother of all meltdowns. Let me set the scene. Cal and Matilda are happily coloring with dot markers at their playgroup at our local gym. Kids are merrily running around. Obnoxious toddler tunes are playing loudly in the background. All is well with the world.

And then Calvin decides he would rather suck the ink out of the markers than actually color with them. I quietly tell him, "No no sweetheart, the markers are for coloring". And then all hell breaks loose.

The tantrum begins on the floor. I try to ignore it for as long as possible but with dozens of mothers looking at me I feel as though I can't just kick back and sip my tea pretending that the tantrum isn't happening (ie. my strategy at home). I go over to console the child and try to bring an end to the situation. He thrashes around screaming like a crazy person, covered in snot from head to toe. He hits me.. and then promptly puts himself in time out.

I can't help but laugh at this point. He spends the remainder of his meltdown (which feels like an eternity) facing the wall and then, not remembering why he is even crying in the first place, he decides to call it a day. He walks away totally composed as if it never happened and joins his friends tumbling on the mats. 

Such a fun time in parenting! 

Knowing that my day today will likely be filled with more than a few unwarranted meltdowns over something only mildly upsetting, I will do my best to think of Cal and Noel the stuffed kitten and all the sweetness that occurs in those moments and remember that this is just a stage.

It is just a stage, right?