When my daughter woke us up this morning, I was definitely not ready to begin the day. Last night she had her first temper tantrum and boy it was a doozy. At one point, as we were (mistakenly) trying to contain her and calm her down, I laughed out loud because she seemed like a caged wild animal. We are lucky that we lasted almost 27 months without one, but I had been silently congratulating myself on raising her so well that she didn’t feel the need for them. I have now read enough about them to know that they are pretty much inevitable, a sign of her growing independence and struggle to control her emotions.
I had a break yesterday from the physical demands of motherhood. I got to attend a day-long photography workshop, a true luxury for me. Yet, after last night’s hysterics and a night of unsound sleep, I wanted to pull the covers over my head this morning to prevent a temper tantrum of my own. The idea of being “on” all day seemed so exhausting. I’m sure everyone has lists of things they need to do and things they want to do and not enough time to do them. My own list seems overwhelming at the moment.
Newt Gingrich, not my favorite person by a longshot, said “Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.” That’s how I feel today. Keep on pushing through.
Congrats on avoiding temper tantrums for so long! I am sure there will be more to come. But you will handle it in stride.