Unfortunately, we lost out entire morning to an orange. An orange! The morning started out well enough as the boys knowingly awoke just as James was pulling out of the driveway. Breakfast was uneventful, and Colin even asked to get dressed (clothes are a daily battle in our home). I threw on a movie for Colin while I put Caleb down for his morning nap (he'd been up early) and then came down to grab a quick 20 minute nap while Colin's movie finished. I had just lied down when Colin asked for an orange (clementine). I peeled and sectioned it, put it in a container and lied back down. 10 minutes later Colin told me to go get him another orange. Anticipating this, I had put an extra one on the table within his reach. I told him to bring it to me.
He burst into tears and yelled at me to go get it. I insisted he bring it to me. And so back and forth and back and forth we went. I'm trying to help him learn to do some more things on his own, and also that demanding I do anything will result in nothing.
He screamed and yelled and cried for half an hour. When I was done my "nap", I went to get myself a snack, and so I offered to peel the orange at the table.
Colin burst into tears. He didn't want me to peel it in the kitchen, but in the living room. He took the prepared orange slices and tossed them at the fridge. He cried for another half an hour. Caleb woke up and I went to get him. I offered to take the boys out somewhere. But Colin was fixated on this orange thing!
Still crying, Colin then picked up the slices and placed them at James' seat at the table. "That's Daddy's orange. Make me a new one." So back and forth we went about how the orange would dry up if left there, how it was perfectly fine for him to eat, and how he cannot demand anything of me. He cried for another half an hour, demanding a new orange.
Then I ate "Daddy's orange." More screaming, yelling and tears. I got Caleb dressed and pronounced us ready to go out, if Colin chose. Distracted just long enough, the waterworks ceased. Colin asked politely for an orange. I graciously gave him one.
Two hours we lost to the orange. All morning, essentially. We sang some songs and played some games and soon enough it was lunch time. And the gorgeous day laid to waste.
***
Tonight we are taking Colin trick-or-treating, although I think his excitement is really only stemming from ours. He's going as a firefighter, thank goodness. For the month leading up, the only thing he wanted to be was "Thomas the Tank Engine", and I'm not that good with crafts! But he saw this costume in the store and got really excited, so I snatched it up. It's a size 8, but I just cut the coat to fit him, and he's happy as a lark. Caleb is going as...nothing. We borrowed a costume when Colin was 1. Several times I had really cute costumes in my hand to buy for Caleb (a pumpkin, a caterpillar, Tigger), but each time I realized that dressing up a one year old is really only for the parents, and there was no need to spend the money. So although we'll all go out tonight, Colin will be the only one dressed up. We'll only go out for a block or two, but it's amazing the haul young toddlers can get! For some reason people see a cute two year old and think he needs a whole handful of candy rather than just one piece!***
Postscript - once the boys got up from a good long nap, their humours were much better. We had a fantastic 30 minute outside, where Caleb spent the whole time trying to sweep leaves and a reluctant Colin got excited about a new toy I'm building him. It's incomplete, (there are houses and a fire station and an airport, plus sides and legs for the table!) but he loved it anyway.
3 comments:
Next year, Shea will be 20 months on Halloween, so old enough to enjoy trick or treating, but still to young to eat the candy. When I was in University, I did a thing called, "Trick or Eat" where we dressed up and went door to door collecting food for the food drive. I think next year, I'm going to organize something similar with kids Shea's age. I figure, that way he gets the experience of trick or treating, and we can do some good instead of just collecting candy that he can't, and I shouldn't, have :).
-Heather.
That's too young, not to young :). I need to proofread my comments :).
-Heather.
I love your "Trick or Eat" idea! Even this year, although Colin loved going out, he can't have too much candy or chocolate because he's really easily affected by it. So, in the end, James and I will likely eat most of it. Like we need that!
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