Tough Love

Let me take you to the setting of the evening. It went something like this. Gia stop, Gia stop, Gia stop, Gia stop. Gia if you do it again you will go to bed when we get home. Gia you are going to bed when we get home. We get home. Gia get ready for bed. She lost it. She did not want to go to bed because it was early and Jerry wasn't going to bed. It just wasn't fair that she was able to misbehave and Jerry not get punished for it. I told her Jerry would not be going to bed and good night. She fell off the handle. She yelled and cried. I told her that I would close her door until she could calm down. Apparently, closing the door pushed her "nut" button because that is what she turned in to. A yelling, kicking, screaming, thrashing, red-faced, big-haired, nut job. "Open the door, open the door, mommy, open the door. You better open the door." As much as I wanted to go in there and give her the who, what, I let her throw her fit., I wanted to see if that deep down inside that miniature, raging body, was rationale. She yelled, she cried, she banged. "You are the worst mommy in the whole world." Silence. "No! I love you mommy, I really, really love you." Hmm...took that one back quick. No doubt she instantly regretted that. I could have just pictured her face after she said that, all red-faced and fiery, hair sticking up every which way, fists clenched, teeth gritted together, and then here comes the words, wiggling their way up her chest into her mouth and like a geyser, out they come. Her face drains from the red color to a more pale shade, her statical hair seems to fall into its place and her whole posture becomes more relaxed, as her head starts to shake back and forth, almost naturally, as that still voice in her head is saying, no, no, no, this is not good, think of something quick, redeem yourself, and so she attempts to. Then, as if that was not enough, she comes out of her room and says, "mommy, I want out of my room." "Gia, go back to your room." She starts crying again as she leaves the room and gets to her door, pauses..."I am going to slam this door...or not" And she closes it quietly. Hmm...didn't like the thought of that outcome either, I see. After a few minutes of her fit continuing. She comes out of her room and says, "Mommy, I am so sorry for throwing a fit and yelling, I will go back in my room and wait patiently for you to come and get me." And off she went. I had her stay in there for a bit longer to really think about her behavior. I went in her room and gave her the talk about her attitude and behavior. I said, "you know your fit was completely unacceptable." She responded, as tears welled up in her eyes, "Yes, that is why I sorryed you."