Thursday, August 28, 2008

When Even Blueberry Love Goes Awry

I've made mention of our nap dilemma this Summer, Harrison went from happily and peacefully going down for a nap to SCREAMING until his voice cracked, "I don't want to take a Nappy!!".

He often requests things that he knows he can't have on the way home from an outing only to break into Total-Toddler-Meltdown.

He can be dead-tired [and he knows it] let out a yawn and if I catch even a fraction of a glimpse of the yawn he blurts out, "That's a pretend yawn, Mommy".

And, after a nap sit-out, when the frozen blueberries that he insisted on having can't even suffice, you know it has been a LONG day...

Yesterday that was it, he was going to nap; I told him several times during our outing the plan of events for the day, up to and including a nap. He agreed - of course, doesn't he always at first? Then on our way home he asks to watch a show, I remind him that it's rest time when we get home. He needs to take a nap or play in his bed for a while and that he may watch a show after his rest/nap time. He begins to whine. He WANTS to watch a show.

Lately he has been all about begging with Please for what he wants, then whining, arguing, screaming, crying, some last-ditch effort of reasoning with me - and it just goes down hill from there. The thing is, I don't give in; yet he is persistent.

So yesterday, while in the car we're going through that regular routine when he says to me:
Mommy, I need you say, "Yes, Harrison, you may watch a show".

I understand that you need to hear me say that, but I can't say it because you need a rest time. You may watch a show after nap or some rest time.
More tears, and pleas, and screeches.

A pause.
Mommy. You call...you say, "Harrison, I want and need to let you watch a show but..." [sic] Do you hear my words, mommy?
Oh, I've heard him alright, I'm choking on my words because I heard him. Finally I answered him with what he wanted to hear.

Well most of it anyway.
Harrison I want and need to let you watch a show but you need to have a nap first, then you can watch a show.

Not what he wanted to hear.


He didn't win this battle...



Oh yeah. That was a pretend yawn.

4 comments:

Blueberry said...

ha ha! i love that he was telling you what you should say! too funny. but you were right about the nap, weren't you. :)

... i wish bean still took a nap but that ended almost a year ago. sigh.

Jenny said...

I guess it's something I have to look forward to. Oh well...

Unknown said...

Mommy I need you to....

Ha!! That is great. And oh, that photo is just too much. I know it is hard to see when he is whining, but he is heavenly - you can't argue with that.

Anonymous said...

Lately my little one has been trying, "Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

I'm saving my similar story for this Thursday. Mine's 4 and fights it, too.