More vacationing for us!

My SO got an extra few weeks of paid leave We've been having fun around town to maintain Leila's regular school schedule & soon we're headed to the NY safety conference, then maybe some other fun stuff is planned....

However, this "united front" between Mommy + Daddy is something Leila hasn't been used to for the most part while living in my parents' house -- where they like to make up their own rules & I keep trying to bring everyone together to follow the *same* rules in the same house :dizzy: So, it seems she blew up in defiance yesterday? We went to the lake, paid to get in only to find that the swimming area is closed (SIGH) Well, we set up picnic while a bunch of college students ran over jumping into the water & then a security cart pulled up telling them to get out of the water. Leila was fine just running around on the rocks & grass in her swim suit, repeating the no swimming rule in a positive tone of voice. Then another family with 5 kids comes over & they all get right in. The little girl was calling Leila in. Now Leila starts saying how unfair the rule is But, as much as I wanted to get wet too, I just didn't want to set a poor example after we were all told by the person in uniform not to get in (I wouldn't have minded if security had never come, but....) Well, Leila went into a shocking tirade of temper tantrum. This was a level of which I have not seen from her before since early toddlerhood: kicking, screaming, baring her teeth, she even threw a stick at the other family We remained calm, but also refused to give into this behavior. We gave choices, but she was not interested in calming down. I ended up having to carry her to the car where she wouldn't disturb the other park-goers & Daddy packed up our stuff, etc. Leila started screaming "I HATE YOU" over & over again to me I just stood outside the car, said "I'm sorry to hear that, but I love you". When really angry in the past, she's said "You're not my friend anymore" & I expected that someday I'd hear the "H" word targeted towards me, but it still hurt even though I know she does of course love me. She was obviously very sorry about this all later & I wanted to give in, give her what she wanted. Instead I insisted that she go to bed early -- stressing that it was not punishment, rather that she was exhausted & also needed peace & quiet to think about what happened & how she could have coped with not getting her way in a healthier manner. Then I went for a hike to calm myself down. This morning Leila knocked on my door at the crack of dawn to appologize. We snuggled & talked about her ideas to handle frustration & show respect for herself as well as others. I'm still feeling pretty emotional. Anyone who thinks motherhood is a breeze must be insane Breakfast is cooking & she's currently helping her grandparents pack up their car for a day trip of their own. We've got a bunch of tasks to complete today (chores, etc.) to be ready for our trip to the NY safety conference.... Thanks for reading :bow:

ack! the dreaded H word
it sounds like you handled it awesome! the first time i heard "i hate you" from my son i cried for like 2 hours , but i havent heard it since then. When they say they dont like me i always tell them "im sorry to hear that because i LOVE you"

I'm sorry you got the H word, but I can't believe how awesome you handled that! I hope I can do the same when it comes my turn to hear that dreaded word.

Ack, I think hearing one of my babies say they hate me would cut me to the core

You handled it brilliantly :thumbsup:

My godson has told me he hates me and he is not my own and it still hurts sooo much. It was all because i told him i wouldnt buy him something he wanted. I am glad she is in a better mood now.

Thank you all, I needed to hear that I handled it well I did shed a few tears & felt like punching a tree on my hike But, luckilly, my SO was here & talked me down, helped me through it I'm going to try to get our Apex in the Civic correctly again (it's a major PITA) just because while she was OK in the RSTV, she feels more comfy in the Apex for long trips & still hasn't grown above the top slots *WHEW*

eek!! I expect that day to come but I hope its not soon!!

I think you handled it well too :thumbsup: