Hard Day

Today has been a hard day... well most of our days have been hard days lately. It seems like good days are coming fewer and further between. And I don't mean good and bad as in... my life is good or bad. Just the circumstances of my day where the gremlin's behavior is concerned.

Regardless of how many times we ask her not to interrupt or to say excuse me, she has to do the exact opposite of what we ask. Most people I suppose would think their child is behaving this way out of spite or need for attention... I know it's neither. I don't tolerate it, but at the same time I try my best to not lose my temper because I know she just doesn't understand why I can't give her attention exactly when she wants it.

And when she doesn't get the attention when she wants it (like wanting me to play a game with her when I'm on the phone with my mom), she starts getting aggressive. She'll start shoving things in my face and trying to talk over me. Of course she gets the count... 1... 2... 3... time out! She's always given 3 chances to change her behavior otherwise she ends up in a time out. 

I know time outs don't work for some people, but they work for us. She has been somewhat calmer since her time out. After I got off the phone she and I had a little talk and she got my attention for a little while. Then she spent a couple of hours playing on her own, which is what she does a good portion of the time anyway. 

The hard part is dealing with her demanding and rude behavior without losing our minds... and trying to teach her... over and over and over and over the proper way to ask for help, or something to eat or drink, or to get someone to play with her.