Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Is it too much to ask a 3 yr old to be grateful?

Everytime I type grateful I crack up because when I was teaching 9th grade we had vocabulary words each week that were mandated by the district. I would put the 10 words on the board and they would copy them down, define, and then I would have some other type of activity, followed by a spelling test at the end of the week. I saw grateful on the list and assumed it was a typo. Just didn't look right to me, so I switched it to greatful, which really doesn't look right either. In one of my classes I had a lot of special ed students so they had an aide that helped out and she brought it to my attention. How embarassing!


Anyway, Ryan had major tude today, even after I thought we did some fun stuff which he should have been grateful for. Maybe its just too much to expect, or maybe its me being tired and emotional and just done with carrying around 30 extra lbs and being hungry for stuff I can't eat.


We left the house around 11 (right as daddy was leaving for work) and hit the library. Technically this is the first time he has gone to specifically check out books for himself. Many moons ago we went for story time in O'side, but nothing since he has been this old. (Old...LOL). We specifically went because he has a Blues Clues book (that I hate) and was asking for more. His reading preferences go in cycles. We'll read the same two books at night for over a month or, if I happen to clean up his room and put all the books back on the shelves he'll just pick something and when we are done it ends up on the floor-the new favorites. His choice would be to have every book in his room on the floor so he could meandour around and pick and choose...that lasts a few days until I cannot stand the mess anymore and back on the shelves they go. So, after last clean up we've been stuck with a Blues Clues book--more specifically, a book with 4 stories and he makes me read "My Pet Turtle Torquoise" every time, and the second book is an old Winnie the Pooh scratch and sniff book that was mine.


We headed to the library for more Blues Clues but they didn't have any in English (I am not heartbroken). We headed to a section on 'cars trucks trains...things that move' that I thought would be a hit, but they seemed to be more for older kids. He picked out a book on big rigs. I picked out a book about a bunny that is going to be a big brother, and then we found some Bernstein Bears books--we have one already and its one of his favorites because sister and brother get in a fight and one of them says "get your dopey feet out of my face" and he thinks that is hilarious. He calls them the bad bear books.


We even looked at some dvds and I thought those would be a hit but he wasn't interested. Our local library happens to be attached to a park so when we walked out he asked if we could go to the park. Even though it was close to lunch I said yes, and he had a great time playing. Some older kids showed up and were throwing bark and just getting into general trouble so I said it was time to leave. That went ok and we came home for a quick lunch and nap.

We had already discussed needing to go to the grocery store, something I hardly ever do with him since my MIL usually comes twice a week to watch him while I run errands or attend my various doctor appts. She flaked Monday, and we were in need of some staples, specifically cheese sticks and granola bars for Ryan. He was excited for the granola bars and I might have bribed him with Starburst. I'm no dummy. I know I can't chase him around a store. He actually asked to sit in the cart which blew my mind. Then as we were looking at strawberries (this boy loves strawberries) he threw a fit about wanting raspberries. The problem is that he doesn't like them. I'm his mom, and I know things like this. Over and over he is talking about the raspberries and then says "daddy says I like them." Um...whatever. So I buy raspberries that were probably $4, I have no clue. I just wanted it to end. They did not have our usual brand of granola bars and I should have been leery when I handed him the box and he looked at me like "what the hell" but I bought them.

Everything was ok until right after checkout. I told him as soon as we got to the car and I washed his hands he could have a Starburst. He decided he didn't need to hold my hand, which is difficult when I'm pushing a cart anyway, but said he would stand next to me, which apparently translates into walking on the other side of the parking aisle and almost getting run over by a car. I told him to move closer to me 3x and finally was so annoyed that I grabbed his hair and pulled him closer. I'm sure it was a lovely scene in the parking lot. I am not proud, but hey, he is alive and not smashed under a car. In true Ryan fashion he got very dramatic and had to roll around on the ground. I put him in his carseat crying and went about my business.

Once everything was unloaded I talked to him about his lack of listening, especially lately, and how that was very dangerous. Starburst came up again and I said if he stopped crying he could have one when we got home...after washing our hands. It was absolutely silent and when we get to our driveway I turn around and he has both hands in his mouth (ew) and tears streaming. I ask what is wrong, thinking maybe he hurt his hands on something. Nope. Just him being overly dramatic again about Starburst because ofcourse, they taste better if you get to eat them in the car. Honestly, I"m losing it about now. I unload everything, leave him sitting in his seat (yes he is almost 3.5 and does not try to get out himself) and we have another discussion, specifically about following directions because ew, your hands are dirty and you put them in your mouth, and then didn't take them out when I told you too. Gross. Grocery store cart gross. Yuck.

Dinner comes around and he is having taquitos and his beloved rasperries which he finds out he does not like. Duh. I tell him to leave them on his plate but he cannot. They must be off, and another argument starts about following directions. I call daddy and ask him if he can have a talk with his son because I'm done talking and things are gonna get ugly really quick. Ryan blabs something about rasperries to him and how I'm making him eat them and "i don't yike them." He seems to calm down until he asks me to eat the raspberries. I tell him I can't because it makes the baby sick and he is screaming at me to eat them because he needs them off his plate. Can we all say "OCD."

At bedtime we talked about trying to be a better listener as our goal for the next day. We're half way through today and I think we are on track. But geez...I'm off to what is hopefully my last appt with my diabetes nurse.

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