Our Little Manipulator

Sure kids are cute, cuddly (well they were when they were babies) and a whole lot of fun.  But they have a dark side too.  They learn at a young age to be manipulators.

It can be simple things like they whine ask for you to get something for them say juice late at night, and you say no.  So they go to their other parent to whine ask the same question.  If parent #2 wasn't observing the initial discussion, then the child is likely to get whatever they were demanding in the first place.  See little manipulator.

Another example, when they look at you with those big brown, puppy dog eyes and ask to watch videos on your computer, but you say no.  And then those puppy dog eyes well up with tears, and they say in the sweetest of voices, "but I want to".  You cave because you're now done with whatever computer business you were doing, and you just want to stop the inevitable tantrum.

Well our little manipulator is back at it again.  The target this time, our day care provider Ms. Stephanie.  The agenda - refusing to go to the bathroom on the potty. 

We have a great track record at home now.  But it's a whole different story at Ms. Stephanie's.  Tuesday was the first day at her house in just undies.  He went 3-for-3.  I'd mentioned if she had to she should use the pull-ups we brought.  Well yesterday he was being a little stinker again - literally.  He went #2 in his pants before the "potty alarm" went off - and nailed a toy or two.

So Ms. Stephanie had to put him into a pull-up... pooping on the toys at a day care is a big faux pas.  And wouldn't you know it, Drew gets the pull-up on and starts to tell her when he has to go potty.  Thinking she was in the clear, Ms. Stephanie decides to put him back into his undies.  Only a short time later he stands up at the lunch table and proceeds to shoot a stream down his leg.

Little manipulator.

And it will only get worse as he gets older. *sigh*

It's a Phase Right?

What happened to my "angel" of a child? He is now an opinionated stubborn little boy.

Here are two recent examples - yesterday morning while trying to get dressed, he refused to wear what Daddy had picked (Captain America T-Shirt and Jeans). He was fine with the jeans, but the shirt just wouldn't cut it. Enter tantrum #1.

So Daddy picked a second shirt, it had cars on it - usually a hit, but not this particular morning. Tantrum #1 turned into tantrum #2, when Drew tried to plead his case with me in the bathroom while I was getting ready. In desperation I took him back to his room, and we sifted through the mountains of shirt options he had - I even pulled out his "Mr. Grumpy" shirt thinking that this occasion called for it, but NOPE. Needless to say I was quite happy to drop him off at day care yesterday morning, wearing the same "despised" car shirt that set off his mood.

Oh, he has these episodes where he MUST pick his shirt about once a week with me, this one was just over the top compared with most.

Case number two - on Wednesday evening while Dave was at softball I decided it would be a brilliant idea to walk from our house to Target (a 45 minute/2 mile walk - one way) so I can pick up some much needed wipes. The way there, no problem, Drew thought it was so fun to scream at all the passing cars and purple flowers.

On the way home it was another story. I didn't realize we were going to be gone so long, so I picked up a Pizza Hut "peckeroni" pizza for him at the food court so he could eat it. First mini tantrum, he no longer wanted it. Fine. He had goldfish for the walk home.

Since it was starting to get chilly with the sun setting, I put his jacket on. It worked for about 10 minutes, then enter tantrum #1. I'm not sure if the sleeves were in the way of his eating goldfish or what set him off. But rather than get the looks from drivers-by for not attending to my screaming child, I decided to take his jacket off. It was going to get dark quickly, so I could avoid the looks I was getting for letting my kid outside at that hour without a jacket.

Oh, and 1/2 mile from home, Drew threw tantrum #2 - he no longer wanted to sit within the confines of his stroller. AHHHHH so I had to carry all 25-pounds or so of him while pushing the stroller one handed. Do they give tickets to people who look like they're drunk trying to push a stroller and carry a toddler? If so, I'm sure I'd have been stopped.

Needless to say that was quite an adventure, and my spaghetti arms and legs are still feeling it.

Please tell me this attitude thing is just a phase and he'll outgrow it. He won't be this opinionated and stubborn forever will he? (Humor me if you have to)