The First Tantrum

Last night we had our first true toddler tantrum. It was sort of my fault. Although in my defense I had very good intentions.

Allison did a great job eating dinner - she LOVED her pasta sauce (my homemade sauce). Not so much the pasta, but she gobbled up the sauce. After getting cleaned up from the sauce all over her face and hands we got her down from the high chair and gave her a graham cracker for dessert.

This is where the trouble starts. AFTER I had already handed off the graham cracker I noticed that there was a bunch of pasta on the floor by her high chair. In an effort to curb the act of pushing food onto the floor we have started making Allison help pick up her droppings after dinner. Last night was no exception. I told her it was time to clean up and I would need to take her cracker and she could have it back when we were done. Oh man did that set off the screams and tears. You would have thought I tore the last morsel of food she would ever be allowed from her lips.

I spent a good 2 minutes (it felt like 10) talking her down from the tantrum Dr. Karp style. She was still pretty upset but I managed to get her to help pick up the pasta and walk to the garbage can. She had 2 pieces in her hands. I got her to drop the first piece in the can, no problem. But she wouldn't drop the 2nd piece and started to walk away with it. "Yucky" I said and explained that it needed to go in the garbage. I then gently (I swear!) removed it from her hand and threw it away. Again with the last supper tears! Another minute of tantrum reduction efforts, and the return of her graham cracker plus a cup of milk calmed things down.

One minute later - happy as a clam.

Oh boy!