The Morning From You Know Where

Emma, God lover her, has a side to her that would frighten the devil some days. She has a temper/attitude like nothing I've seen before. This morning started great, she came downstairs with Pappa all smiles saying "surprise!". Life is good. Fast forward 20 minutes: I go into the living room and notice Emma on the couch holding a bowl of cereal that is a millimeter away from overflow. I take the bowl out of her hands and put it on the coffee table. BIG mistake, I will pay for this one over the course of the next half hour. Oh dear LORD! From that moment on there was no pacifying her as she relentlessly screamed and sobbed. I took her cereal. I didn't want it to spill. Is that so wrong? I eventually take her into the kitchen with the bowl of cereal, now looking a bit like what you'd find in the bottom of a sink drain. Nope, that wasn't going to cut it. So I pour a new bowl of cereal, no milk, and give it to her on the couch. What, no milk??? Round two! Sigh...all while trying to get big sisters out the door in time for the bus. Now I'm desperately trying to find blankey, which we lost the day before. Ah ha.....it's a miracle! I am the queen of finding missing items. Yesterday it was my tennis shoes, today the blankey. I RULE! Finally, peace and quiet. Now, fast forward another hour. Shower time. The decibels at which this girl can scream is amazing. I would rank it right up there with a B1 taking off. I fear at this point our neighbors are starting to suspect I am trying to murder her on a daily basis. Well, I did succeed in washing, rinsing and drying her. Not to mention combing her hair which is not an easy task unless I lock us in a 3 x 3 padded room first. All Hanna or Eden have to do is walk by her sometimes and she’ll scream at them. I guess as a parent when these situations arise, the easiest thing to do is give in to get the tantrums to stop. But that’s the biggest no-no in my opinion, it just feeds the monster. I think we might have given in one too many times over the past two years. Now we find ourselves in the very difficult position of trying to undo the damage. Free parenting lesson for y’all (pay attention now) SAY NO AND MEAN IT! Don’t give in - EVER! You’re welcome.