Brendan has been 3 for almost a month now and we’ve been having lots of moments like this-
He threw himself on the ground and had a little tantrum after I wouldn’t let him have another bowl of Frosted Flakes. And the crying went on and on, so I just let him cry until he was done and then he was okay. He forgot about the Frosted Flakes and happily ate some goldfish crackers instead.
3 seems to be a tough age for Brendan, at least so far. Even though he’s getting better at telling me what he wants, he still puts up quite a fight when he doesn’t get it. It’s hard to reason with a three year old too. For example, Brendan doesn’t understand that when Chris is at work, he can’t play with him and I can’t magically make him appear. No matter how many times I try to explain it, it doesn’t make a difference. He wants his dad and he’s angry that he’s not here. And his first reaction is to scream and cry and flop around on the floor. This age is definitely a learning experience for both of us- I’m learning how to deal with his tantrums and Brendan’s learning some limits. At least I hope he’s learning.
The emotions of this age can be so fun (in the good times) and SO draining in the hard times. Sometimes I wonder if Eli will be this emotional forever... but then it eases up for a little bit and I realize no, it's just the stage he's in. And we have the same problem with Eli getting upset when Ben is gone at work, especially on Monday mornings when we all detox from the weekend. Now I try to remind Eli when we're putting him to bed that Ben's going to work in the morning and I'll be the one to get him when he wakes up. Sort of works. Not always though.
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