Meltdown

Sarah melted down yesterday. Nothing new except for the number of times. 4!! I shall drag you into the trenches with me and share the joy of one of her meltdowns. First off, she begins to whine which quickly works up into sustained shrieking, then comes the jumping up and down and kicking the walls, at which point she usually falls to the ground and continues in a horizontal position. A sight to behold I must say. I used to try to remove her. Not a good idea. As I carried this child she would be twisting, turning, kicking and still shrieking and knocking her head on numerous walls and doorjambs. I would then try to shut the door to her room and push her arms, hands and feet back into the room. whew
These days I just stand there along with Joshua and Nathan. We stare. We wait. When the whimpering starts I can usually get down to her level and talk softly to her.
Why the 4 episodes yesterday?
1)Her girlyfriends had to go home. They did not stare or wait. They bolted out the door.
2) No more graham crackers I said.
3) Only one book I said.
4) It was bedtime I said.
She is five. She is emotional. She is a very sensitive girl. I must wait her out. There is no talking to her once she reaches the point of no return. Hey, I guess I do have patience!! Yay me!!
I do love Sarahs' spirit and her fierce independence but I wouldn't snatch a Barbie out of her hand in a dark alley. You would be wise to heed that advice as well.