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May 14, 2008
Bewildering melt-downs
I know, I know, it's been forever since I've posted anything about Ethan. He's my guy, and he regularly astonishes me with his sweetness and brilliance.
And then the other day he surprised me by getting as upset as I've ever seen him, over a whole series of nothings, on the way home from the park. It happens, I guess, but thankfully not too often. I'd been away the week before - maybe that makes him sad, and then he just has to let it out. Or maybe he was tired. Or who knows? Maybe it's not actually all my fault.
Anyway, we were all coming home, Ethan and Linna in the wagon. Bad idea. They start poking at each other, having trouble sharing space. We put Linna backwards so they'd each have room for their bottoms (bah-tooms, says Linna), and then Ethan got upset. He wanted to go backwards. Fine. Then he wanted "i-bee" at Dairy Queen. No. OK. Then Linna was leaning out, so I took her out, and she wanted the blanket, so I draped it on her shoulders. Then Ethan got upset because he wanted HIS blanket on his back. And he was leaning out and we asked him not to, and that made him upset too. Then he was dangling Teddy's ball-thrower, and bouncing the ball out (so I had to get it), so finally I just held on to it instead, and that made him upset. EVERYTHING made him upset. Then I put the ball back in the thrower, it fell out again, and Teddy grabbed it. He wanted me to get the ball, throw it back to where it was, and let him go get it and 'start over.' By that time he was crying so hard he could hardly breathe. We were almost home, so I carried him, and he was half-heartedly hitting me, but not enough to hurt. We got home and I just held him, and he quickly calmed down.
My boy is such a mix. Sometimes he's so coherent and rational and seems to understand so much. And sometimes he's a bundle of squishy emotions.
Posted by ktingey at May 14, 2008 03:16 PM