Note to reader: I drafted this article about three years ago, all persons mentioned are now older and wiser.
I have a three-and-a-half-year-old son and I teach teenagers all day for five days. In addition, I am also the mother of two teenagers.
My commute to and from work is two and a half hours return depending on whether I have errands. I am a mom so there’s always errands.
When I pick up my toddler, I am frazzled and exhausted and I am ready to pull out all my hair, except I do not have any because I cut it off. (The woman in the pic above is an accurate representation of how I felt).
We talk a bit in the car until we get home, the drive in the car takes all of ten minutes. So, I come out the car and proceed to go to the back and open his door. This is where the drama unfolds. His reluctance to get out of the car seat, the defiant folding of the arms and a half-baked attempt at a pout baffles me. Meanwhile, I am like a mule saddled with my handbag, my workbag, my shoes, his bookbag, lunch bag and another bag. Visualize beast of burden.
After much coaxing he’s out the car, next is the climb of stairs to the front door. Anyone would believe that it’s a natural sequence, you come out the car and you make your way up the stairs. Right? This little three and half year-old person stands on the landing and refuses to go up the stairs. By now I’m ready to say colourful things and act accordingly but my hands are restricted by the multiple bags I’m holding and the mere thought of ridding my hands of those bags to pick them back up again was too much. I chose to use my energy and remain calm.
With a bit more coaxing and some promises we were finally inside. Mission accomplished. What prompted me to write a blog about this scenario was to this day I still don’t know what was the cause of this behaviour. And people say adults are irrational, they’ve never had to deal with toddlers. Anyone who interacts with toddlers daily is a mediator and ranks with the best of them. Cheers!
I would love to know how you cope with your toddlers. Tell me in the comment box below.
