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I never thought my 3-year-old daughter would have such an attitude sometimes. I'd hate to see what she's like when she hits puberty. Almost everyday, we encounter verbal exchanges that are just frustrating at best. Don't really know how to deal with it. Ignore it? Would we end up with a kid who thinks she has all the power (which is not good)? Rationalize with her? It doesn't work.
For example, I was making dinner tonight and she came into the kitchen wanting to help. I was reluctant at first (because it just slows me down) but relented because it's always good to have the preschooler help out to make them feel "big" (when I have the patience for it). She helped me make the salad and cracked some eggs for her scrambled egg dinner. (Aside: She wanted "breakfast for dinner." We did that once where we all had omelets and toast for dinner and ever since then, she often asks for "breakfast for dinner.") As soon as I started to make her scrambled eggs, she decided that she wanted to eat some pineapple, which was sitting on the counter. Here's our exchange:
Scarlett: I want to eat some pineapple.
Me: Not right now, Scarlett. I'm making you your dinner right now and we will be eating in 5 minutes so you can wait for dinner time to eat them.
Scarlett: No, I want to eat it now!
Me: Scarlett, listen to me, I'm busy right now so you need to wait for dinner.
Scarlett: I want some milk!
Me: Scarlett, you can have milk at dinner time. We will be eating in 5 minutes.
Scarlett: No! That's not the truth!!!
What the hell? My daughter is accusing me of lying? Where did she learn to say that? But more important, where did she pick up that attitude? Argh!
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I'm gonna pontificate a little bit...you are so correct when you say that a kid who thinks she has all the power is NOT A GOOD THING. That was a major common link in the kids who ended up at the expulsion school where I used to work. They ran the house.
ReplyDeleteIn my non-mom opinion, you are doing exactly the right thing by NOT giving in to her demands/requests. If you did, the repercussions when she's 14 would be disastrous. Seriously, now is the time for her to learn that you mean what you say and it's not just lip service. I can talk to you more about this when we see each other if you want. I have lots of opinions that come from 11 years of working at an expulsion school!!
Don't know where the 'tude comes from though!!