I had to go to Target the other day. I go, maybe 3x a year. I’m not a shopper really, and now with the baby, I’m even less so. Shopping takes time, patience and a clear head. But I needed something specific, so I had to bite the bullet.
The baby is cutting teeth so she’s been quite the ornery machine lately. And I timed the Target trip to coincide with picking my older daughter up from school, which meant that the baby would miss her nap. I’m not sure if it was just that these things worked against me, so my daughter turned into psycho toddler, or could it bethat because we don’t ever go to these places she was so overwhelmed and overstimulated that she couldn’t help herself.
So here’s how it played out: We put her in the cart (which she usually digs) and start our stroll through the store. Less than 5 minutes in, she wants out. She wants out bad. I tell her she has to hold my hand and walk. She decides that doesn’t work for her. Begin tantrum. Oh. My. Gawd. So I pick her up and put her back in the cart. She screams and cries. I do not relent. So I am the parent with the screaming child in the shopping cart. I have never been that parent. I am caught in an unfamiliar place. So I do my best to calm her down without giving in. I will not pacify my child and create nasty habits that are harder to break down the road. Eventually she relaxes and we try again. She gets down and holds my hand. She’s good for a little while so I let her run around for a bit with her sister following her. But when it’s time to move on, restart crying crazy person. So again, I have to let her cry.
No my fellow shoppers, I do not wish to ruin the serenity of your hallowed Target experience. But I get here 3x a year and darn it, I am not leaving the store without the 2 flipping items I came here for.
I was in the store for probably a grand total of 25 minutes. It was awful and felt 5x that long. I talked to my sister about it the next day. She has 5 kids, the youngest of which are 2 year old twins. We discussed different scenarios and how normal everyday events can change so dramatically with kids. I definitely have high behavioral expectations of my children but am also not naive about what a 15 month old can and cannot handle and/or understand.
It was a brand new experience and one that I will probably re-live, no matter how much I don’t want to go there. I don’t anticipate it becoming something that always happens, but it’s good to know that I’m equipped to deal with it when it does. Man. Other peoples kids. 🙂
How do you handle tantrums? What advice can you share with other moms? Do you have a magic trick, because if you do, please share!
