A Little Too Much Time Together...

 

This is my child, my only son, my progeny, etc. I love him very much, and would do just about anything to make him happy.  

Except yesterday.  

Yesterday I wanted to smack him.  Smack him right on the butt and send him to bed, even though it was only 10am.  (I did not do any of that, so put down that phone.)

Zane was just sick enough to be extra, extra whiny, but not so sick that he really acted sick.  He had a slight fever, and a cough, but he was running around giggling and riling our puppy Maisy up.  The usual.   No, he was acting just normal--unless we used the word "N-O".  

If we told Zane that he couldn't jump off the furniture, he whined.  If we told him that he had to eat what everyone else was eating, he whined.  If we told him to stop trying to pick up the by-now-growling puppy, he whined.  If we said that he could not throw all of his Legos on the floor because the dog would eat them, he whined. 

Sometimes, he threw himself down for dramatic effect.  Occasionally, Zane would announce that he was "not impressed" with us, or would tell us that he did not like us, as if those words would cause us to immediately halt our thwarting of his will. 

These are the days that make parents tear out their hair and look for the wine bottle opener, no matter what time of day it is.  

It is our job, as parents, to say the word "no", on occasion.  It is a requirement that we be able to create boundaries around our child, that we establish expectations for appropriate behavior.   I understand that.  

Whining drives me up the wall.  It is one of my Big Red Buttons.  To hear it almost constantly all day was nails on a chalkboard for me, and I was ready to scream before noon.  It didn't help that Larry wasn't feeling great, either(it's Cedar Fever time here, when the allergies go off the charts).  He was even crankier than me, and he was whining as well.  We were all stuck inside with each other, due to the weather, and we were getting on our last nerves.  

What to do?  

We took a nap.  We all trooped upstairs, assumed the napping positions, and fell asleep.  Turns out that was just what was needed.  

Three hours later, the world was a happier place.