I have been thinking about my earlier post all day and it is now true confession time.
If I’m going to share my life with all of you and eventually Lucas himself, then I have to share the good, the bad and the ugly…
By and large, Sea World is one of those places that is great for busy toddlers; there is tons of open and safe places for them to roam around and explore, provided there aren’t swarms of people and you’re up for some exercise.
So, yes while we had a very fun day yesterday, Lucas has decided that the stroller is a torture chamber.
Full.
On.
Meltdown.
Every time I tried to get him into the stroller so that we could venture on to the next exhibit.
He wanted only to be on the ground and mobile, not strapped in or confined.
There were tears and sweat and head butts and one skinned knee.
It wasn’t pretty.
I have decided that I’m NOT cut out for these tantrums.
They are embarrassing and exhausting and leave me feeling completely helpless and awful. They make me want to package up my child, take him home and never leave the house with him again.
These fits of rage never last very long, but it is as though the devil himself possesses my son for four minutes and for me it is an excruciating 240 seconds. Seriously, it is the worst part of parenting… so far.
I am hoping these outbursts are just a phase. Somebody, please tell me that this is just a phase. Lucas has only been walking for three months, so I know that it is still very new and exciting to him.
So, there you have it. There were oh, four of these episodes yesterday. Luckily they got tamer as the day wore on because his little legs got tired, but nevertheless, they took their toll on both of us.
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I love your honestly…I really do. I agree that they are just so embarrassing, those meltdowns! How shallow that seems, but I just think people are judging me or my child. My bet would be that he's just finding his legs (so to speak) and this new freedom of walking overwhelms him…like he wants to do it all.the.time! And the stroller sucks.
He's still so young, but I remember trying to give a choice to my kid…like you can walk if you will hold my hand or you can ride. Then at least they felt like they made the decision. But he's so young, that may not help!!
You are a good mom…ignore the embarrassment and trust your gut.
We've all been there. Trust me. You should be able to reason with him soon that he either rides or doesn't go. Maybe you could let him walk for afew minutes but ride most of the time.
Tonya, I'm glad that you are showing us the good, the bad, and the ugly. That's what being a mom and having all this support is all about. It's a phase, but it's a long one. Hang in there…I won't say it gets easier, but it does get more manageable as you get used to it.
I am right there with you in this phase, and you have given me the encouragement to write about thing goings on that we have been having, we are in that very same phase at the moment, and I to get so embarrassed sometimes by the behavior of my children, so much so I'd rather just stay home, and go back out when they are like 40. What do you think about the backpacks that have the leash on them? I have one of those, the kids love them because they can wear the monkey and I like it because they can walk, but not without leaving a 3 foot radius of me.
It is a phase. It may be a long one or a short one. That depends on Lucas. At this point? It's a kind of wait and see thing. Sometimes there are things you can do to diffuse a little. With Boo, ignoring him worked well. He wanted the attention & when I didn't give it to him? He got tired of freaking out. Kinda. It helped. But every kid is different. It took trial & error to figure that out.
Also? Once he could? Boo has always preferred to walk. I usually let him, as long as he stays near me. He is 4 1/2 now, so I've slackened up a little, but even now? He always has to hold my hand when in a parking lot or street. When he was little & first learning? He held my hand (Ok, he held my index finger) whenever he walked. Maybe it would be less painful to just let him walk with rules. He'll eventually get tired if it's an all-day outing & he'll end up in the stroller anyway, I bet. If you can trust him to stay with you or if he'll hold your hand, it might help to just let him walk.
PS – the meltdowns? Do get better. Plus? You'll learn how to manage them with practice. Trust me. ;o)
It's funny how kids know the precise time to have a meltdown, They choose, crowded places sure to attract the most attention. Gotta love them! With Sofie, distracting her really worked with other things, but as for the stroller we stopped bringing it with us as soon as she started fighting it, but we told her she has to walk, she was about 2 at the time.
Things do get better, and as for the embarrassment most moms and dads around would understand and people who don't can just shove it.
Boo to meltdowns!!