Ikea at the end of the day was probably too much to ask 🙁
Children had a good day with A, who says she enjoyed having them. They made it to the park, but rain stopped play 😉
I had a productive, if short, day in the office, so that was good too. Then I picked them up just after 4, and we headed up to Ikea for tea and shopping (got a party tomorrow, and wanted to buy a present for the three year old). I’d seen adverts about feeding a family of 4 for £5 which seemed like a pretty good deal – although I’ve no idea how you achieve it, and our bill came in at £6.75. How does that work then?
Small didn’t eat his tea. He legged it into the attached play area, and made friends with another three year old car addict 🙂 They were jabbering away at each other and it was fabulous to see. Until very recently, he hasn’t really bothered with other children his own age, but he seems to have decided they are worth the effort now. Rather enjoyed a quick chat with the other boy’s parents as well – and so wish I’d had a camera to capture the moment.
Took some effort to persuade him to move on, and then he installed himself in one of those chairs with a roll cover, much to the amusement of just about everyone passing by. Right up to the point where I decided we needed to leave, which was meltdown time, big style. “I not want you” was the repeated scream, as he backed away, hands up. This went on, and on, and on…not one person commented or intervened – does he look enough like me that he’s obviously mine? Only it does occur that that is the sort of thing a child might scream at a stranger attempting to pick them up?
Anyways, we made it out eventually, and he’s in bed. Got home just in time to watch a car and bus dance a little too close at the end of our drive – ah, brings back memories. Didn’t get close enough to work out who’s fault it was though (last time it was the bus driver’s – although I had to go to court to get that confirmed!)
Now I’m just going to knock off a little more work…and then another moderately early night. After I get some more food. And another cup of tea. Wonder if we’ve got any chocolate?
Comments
11 responses to “Twenty minute tantrum.”
Is there ever a good time to visit IKEA?
Did you get your chocolate? I hope so, sound as though it was much needed. I’m rather enjoying a G&B’s ginger bar at the mo :oP scrummy
Jax darling could you change our blog title on the ring hub – or can i do it myself somehow ? – we’d like it to be Our Learning Together.
Thanks in advance
Dawniy x
ps Ikea is worth it if only for the coffee 🙂
I know that chair with the rolling cover all too well. They have one in the library here and it causes nothing but trouble. Ash can sit in it for ages rolling the cover up and down and it is funny at first: “Where is he? OOH there he is!!!” but he just locks into some sort of mania with it so after 20-30 surprise: “Oooh – he’s under the rolling cover!”‘s it gets a bit much and a bit noisy and then it will be time to go at some stage and he can never leave that ruddy chair. Ash is always screaming: “GET OFF ME!!!” when I crowbar him out of the chair and we always leave the library with him screaming about that chair. What am I supposed to do? Take the chair and him sitting in it home on the bus? Humpf. And Ikea..it’s something we all do, like drinking cola, it might not be that good for our health, but the benefits outweigh the negative. I love ikea even though 50% of the time we go I regret taking the kids;)
Don’t have a drink that should cut the cost down :-).
Mine spent ages playing in that chair! Sounds like normal parent child argument to me rather than abduction.
Did you buy everyone a drink? We usually get one and then go for the free refill (sometimes more than once – shh!)
Though I don’t think we’ve ever done it as cheap as £5 either. Still, its not *bad* value!!
Children had meal deal each which included drink and pudding. I had vegetarian meal and a drink – leaving out my 75p drink wouldn’t have brought it under £5.
Actually, I think that eat for £5 is misleading – you have to buy two adults meals and then the children eat free, and I don’t think any of you get drinks. I would have thought the majority of ppl expect to have a drink of some sort with a meal, even if it’s only water (quite like water with a meal actually) but I don’t think you can even get water with that. Ridiculous that it would have been cheaper to buy an extra meal and throw it away though 🙁
I think it was in a John Holt book, I read a suggestion to give them a warning (say 5 or 10 minutes) that you are going to interrupt them. I’ve used it extensively with Emma.
Ooh, hello Ron, we were here together!
I’ve used that extensively as well (although don’t remember it from Holt, could well have read it there though) – just doesn’t work with him. Or not always. Sometimes you get a scream when you give the warning, but then when you actually make the interruption he cooperates nicely. But at this point, he was just too far gone, and I never blame children for that – my own fault entirely for asking too much when they are all too tired.
we do five minute warnings too although the effectiveness depends entirely in the frame of mind of the child at the time 🙂
I think I have an unusually cooperative child. I have had one public tantrum – on a bus. At which point we promptly got off the bus into the cold rain and waited for him to “be all done” so we could go home. Worked wonders.
One thing that works for us is setting the agenda. We’re going to x, then y, then z. So, when we are making a transition, It’s not really about going – but – moving on to the next activity. “Okay – that was fun, now we’re going to count apples at the market. That’s cool.” or “Okay, that was fun. Now it’s time to home and play with our toys. I like doing that with you.”
When met with the rare resistance, I always say things like, ‘Gee we had a really good time here today. I’m so sad we can’t come back. I thought this was really fun.” At which he switches gears promptly.
For what its worth. Chocolate is good for you.