The Evil Within

I know that my going back to work is going to be a bit of an adjustment for our little family. I expect crazy mornings, super-fast, probably not-so-healthy cooked dinners, lagging housework and laundry, and quick tempers. I did not expect my darling (almost!) four-year old to turn into Evil Incarnate.

Let me be fair--we seem to have ironed out the crying jags when Mommy picks her up at daycare. And I really don't think her behavior is MUCH different than it was before I went to work--I think I just have less time/patience to deal with it now and rules have to be reinforced.

So lately we're having a problem getting the Beast up in the mornings again. And I feel as if I'm being pretty patient so far since I know it's hard for this NON-morning person to get up and get dressed (SO like her father!). But last night at bedtime it was an absolute NIGHTMARE.

She refused to put on her pajamas. Such a little thing, right? Well, it turned into a BIG thing with a huge temper tantrum that culminated in my putting her in bed without jammies and not even her pull-up (which she SO still needs). The anger in this child! She did her usual temper tantrum fare and pulled all the stuffed animals/babies off her bed--but then topped that with yanking off the comforter, sheets, AND the shower curtain I have on there as her "wetness" barrier. A poltergeist in the makings here, folks!

When I went in to check on her and hopefully calm her down and put her "properly" to bed (that's when I discovered the destruction of the bed), she yells at me, "Put my sheets back on!" What--Didn't you WANT them off?! I finally made a deal with her--if she managed to calm down and stop screaming for 15 minutes (I know! But this had been going on for a LONG time!), then I would put her sheets back on.

INSTANT quiet.

And ten minutes later, I went in, put her bed back together, and she put on her jammies.

Izzy and I had another talk about the kind of behavior I expect of her. She needs to get up and get dressed in the morning WITHOUT a temper tantrum. She needs to put her OWN shoes on (suddenly she "can't do it"). She needs to greet me with a smile and say "Hi" to me when I pick her up from day care--and NO temper tantrum. She needs to put on her pajamas at night--again, WITHOUT a temper tantrum.

It's a lot, no? But I guess we can boil it down to the simple: Do what you're told and stop fussing about it! Grrrrr!!!!!

*sigh* I hate having to be even MORE mean than I really am.

P.S. She got up like an Angel this morning--a somewhat groggy Angel, but STILL....