Temper Tantrums - Mine, Not The Baby's!

D saw the muesli jar in the kitchen and asked me for some. He likes to eat it just like that. I put some in a bowl and gave it to him. D ate some and then turned the bowl upside down, scattering the remaining muesli on the floor. I told him this was not right and that he should have returned the bowl back to me if he didn't want to eat anymore. D just kept quite and looked at me as I proceeded to clean up the floor.

Image Courtesy: www.freepik.com

A while later, D and I were generally goofing around, when he suddenly decided to attack the clothes, which I had just folded. Within seconds, the neatly folded pile was on the floor, all scattered around. I took a deep breath, picked up the clothes and kept it aside, to fold later.

After sometime, I was changing the bed sheets and was almost done. I just happened to turn around to see D pulling out the tucked in sheet from all around the bed, which meant that I would have to do it all over again!

By now I was at my wits end and yelled at D. As usual, he just kept quiet and looked at me wide-eyed (his way of dealing with an irate momma). I then asked him to stand in one corner of the room while I did the sheets again. Surprisingly, he obeyed and stayed put till I made the bed (this is was the first time he stood in one place this long, btw). I then sat down to fold the clothes again. All this while D just stood there looking at me, smiling, every time our eyes met. Guess what? I did not smile back!!! I knew he would be his naughty self the minute I smiled at him.

Once I was done, I smiled at him and told him that he was a good boy for obeying his Amma. You know what he said? "Amma laughing, Amma not angry?"

Gosh I felt sooooo petty for losing my temper and punishing my baby. D is not even two and here I was giving him a time out. And he sensing my mood, felt it was best to toe the line! This was not the first time that I was scolding D (I fly off the handle at the drop of a hat), but yes it was the first time that I actually gave him a time out and he obeyed. I was feeling miserable because I realised that D is growing more and more perceptive with each passing day and he tries to please me when I am angry. I mean, come on, being naughty is part of a toddler's job description. As a mother, ain't I the one who is supposed to be calm and understanding? Here, my baby is the one who is actually calmly handling his mother's temper tantrums?

I gave him a big hug and lots of kisses, but inside I felt like such a small person for not handling the situation better. I had always heard that being a mother teaches you patience. In my case, I can say that I have failed miserably so far.....

OVER TO YOU:
If you are a parent, do let me know how you handle such situations. I swear I need a lot of training on this one!