The Motherload of Tantrums

It is hard to believe that something that looks as sweet as this, can create pure mayhem.  I am referring to my four-year old.  Camdyn has always been a strong-willed little girl.  She knows what she wants, she'll negotiate her best to get it, and she surely isn't afraid to tell momma what "the rules" are.  She's fiery, quick as a whip, and is often pretending not to listen even though she is listening.  She tests my patience daily.  Lord give me strength.  But, in the same breath she is sweet, and funny, and this child has a tolerance for pain like no other.  There have been countless times out in public where she has biffed it hard, like stumbled over a concrete stop bar in a parking lot, and then fell on to the concrete, and passers-by gasp with horror, and she pops up and says, "That was a neat trick!"  Yeah, I kid you not.  The child does not cry unless she is bleeding and even then, sometimes not.  She's Ford tough. 

I've also been basking in the 4 plus years that have been relatively tantrum free.  I thought it wasn't her style, she communicated better than tantrum-ing and I was so grateful for that.  BUT, I paid my dues yesterday. 

After finishing up dinner at the mall yesterday, Cam asked if she could look at the Silly Bandz on the way out.  Sure, honey, no problem.  Well, wouldn't you know it, we walked right by the kiosk and were 50 feet from the door when Cam realized that we forgot to look at the Silly Bandz.  CRAP.  Instead, of communicating that to us in a level headed, respectable manner, she went into demon possessed mode.  She began kicking and screaming and flailing around.  I was 10 feet in front of her and her daddy was walking by her.  Hubs stopped.  "Should we take her?"  Um, No!  We can't teach her that throwing a tantrum gets results.  So, No Silly Bandz.  Cue louder tantrum, right past all of the lovely folks who were enjoying their dinner at Ruby Tuesdays in the open air section of the mall.  "Howdy!  Let me introduce to you my demon possessed kid!" (Not, that I give two shits about those people, but half of them were smiling anyway). 

Now, I have to admit.  I was stifling a smile too because she was that DRAMATIC and so OVER THE TOP and all of this over some rubber bands.  GEESH.  So, we held our ground, and when we got outside in to the open air, I got down on her level and explained to her, that her behavior was unacceptable, that's not how you get your way, and that because she acted like that, I was unable to take her to see the Silly Bandz.  She sobbed big tears, asked me told her, and then in the car talked to me about the dragon that took over her body and shot fire out of her nose, and made her behave like she had 3 heads.  Seriously, she came up will all of that.

I can no longer say that my kid does not throw tantrums, I just hope that this was a one and done episode, because I already have seen the depths of Lovie #2's tantrums and she's only 14 months old.  Lord, grant me strength.