Monday, March 15, 2010

Don't want to

"I don't want to, I don't want to!"

It seems like that is all I've heard for the last week or so.  EVERYTHING is "I don't want to" from getting dressed in the morning, to eating the pb&j sandwich she asked me to make one minute ago, to coloring with the crayon that's in her hand, to getting into the car.

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In this picture, Kylie drank all the water in her cup and had a meltdown about it.  
Kylie:  Water!
Me:  Honey, you drank all the water in your cup
Kylie:  I don't want to drink it all!
Me:  (looks in the cup and it is, in fact, empty).  I have some more water here.  Do you want me to put more water in your cup?
Kylie:  I don't want you to!
Me:  Okay
Kylie:  I want water!
Me:  Starts to reach for her cup to pour some water in it.
Kylie:  Don't do it!  Don't do it!
Me:  Deep, deep, deep sigh and think, "Poor, hormonal, growing little girl.  In trying to make sense of it all, you are making no sense at all."

You get the picture.  This type of scene happens more times a day than I can count.  No wonder when Karen gets home from work, I want to run screaming from the house.  

My mom gave me some valuable advice when I became I mother.  She told me, "Don't make it a battle if you don't have to".  It was sage advice which I follow everyday.  I try very hard to not make small matters a test of wills between Kylie and I.  I enforce obedience through discipline on the things that matter most.  But now, Kylie is picking some battles just for the heck of it.  

I read somewhere that a toddler's rigid contrariness peaks right before their birthday's.  Let us all hope that some of this eases off soon!

Kylie's other favorite phrase is, "What happens....".  Here is an example.
Me:  Kylie, don't eat the glue.
Kylie:  What happens if I eat glue?

Me:  Kylie, color on your page, not the table.
Kylie:  What happens if I color on the table?

Me:  Kylie, don't lick the tv screen.
Kylie:  What happens if I lick the tv?

Do you sense the crazy pattern of it all?  And most of the answers run in the line of, "You'll break the tv, you'll hurt the table, you'll get a stomach ache" and so forth.

I sense the phrase, "because I said so" right on my horizon.

I love you my exasperating adorable little girl!
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5 comments:

Cara said...

This is exactly what I've been going through. They are so verbal, but irrational/illogical little beings at the same time.

Soupy said...

You just described my life w/K1! Nutso, I tell you- and I feel awful for some of the reactions I've given (in sadess because I never wanted to react like that...but she pushes ALL The buttons and she's only this age! LOL)vir

Missi said...

I promise you, it goes off after 3rd birthday. My two kidds did exactly the same. And once they were 3 they just stopped doing it.
it is a question of learning.

learning to grow!!!

Just and advide, don´t try to find any sense.
She still looks adorable!!!!!!

Kerry Lynn said...

I could have written this post!!!! Both of them are constantly saying "no, I don't want to!!" I started writing their 36 month letters tonight and this is what I tackled first. It's just exhausting.
I heard the same thing about them getting unsettled around their birthday. So if this is true then I only have one more day!!! I'll let you know how it goes :-)

Teaberry said...

So funny!