Getting out of the house is usually a bit of a panic around here. Every outing requires so much preparation now that I have a child: I have to prepare and pack snacks, check that I have enough diapers and wipes, find a clean sippy cup and fill it with water, and pack any other incidental clothing/food/toy requirements. By the time I'm ready to hustle Jack into the car, I just want to GO.
Jack, of course, has his own agenda. He often dawdles to the car, stopping if something shiny and sharp like the garden shears catches his eye. Then he wants to climb in the car himself, stopping if any of the car buttons catch his eye. Then he wants to climb into his car seat himself, but often he'll get distracted by something on the car floor or on the seat or the light overhead. Then once he's seated, he wants to strap himself in, but sometimes he can't figure out how to get the harness to lock.
What would be a 10-second process if Jack would let me just put him in the car seat and buckle him can end up taking nearly 10 minutes because "I want to do it myself!" So it is during this ritual that I often find I am at my most exasperated with him.
Today, as I was trying to usher Jack into his seat, he noticed one of his toys on the car floor where he couldn't reach it.
"I want my toy," he said.
I told him to strap himself in and then I would get the toy for him.
As he was climbing in and I was getting everything else loaded up, he kept saying, "I want my toy! I want my toy! I want my toy! I want my toy! I want my toy!" His demands were not at all abated by my responses of, "Hold on. Get in your car seat first. In a minute."
Finally, I said, in an admittedly testy voice, "Jack! Stop it!"
Silence.
Then Jack said, "Mommy's so impatient."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Glad to know I'm not alone in being frustrated by everything taking 20 times longer than it should! I wish you more patience, Janis! Do the same for me also:) One day they will be running out the door, barely saying goodbye, as they drive off in their own cars...boo hoo.
Oh, the glaring reflection our children offer...I love and hate those moments. I just keep reminding myself during our intensely long and independence-driven routine to get on the road that independence is good and I stay home so we can take our time...it doesn't always work but it helps on some days. :)
We go through the same thing every time we have to leave the house! Kids truly live in the moment. I wish I could.
Oh LORD I feel your pain on this one- Anna has to do "run and jumps" off the patio even if we are in a huge hurry. One of those things I wish I had never shown her....
Post a Comment