The Trap

I find myself getting caught in the same trap over and over. My children set this trap by simply being. Mostly it is Merry and David, I am sure Thomas will be an accomplice when he learns to talk. When they can talk they simply become another member of the pack. They are still individuals, but my expectations of behavior change, my expectations are for everyone to be as good as the best. It doesn't happen.

I get complacent, I forget that the children are different ages and I expect them all to behave as six or seven year olds. Merry is five, David is three, I get fooled into thinking that because they can talk they should behave as adults.

Merry is very good, as is David, however, David is still prone to a temper tantrum every now and again. It is difficult to handle David's temper tantrums when the expectation is for him to act like a big kid.

A deep breath, a big hug and some reassuring words always win the day. The hard part is remembering the deep breath and not getting sucked into the negative energy of a three year olds tantrum.