Whiny kids

I don't know sometimes how to handle whiny kids. Some days it is easy for me to ignore and redirect their attention and minimize the stress on the day. Other days it is not.

Today is one of those days.

We knew that the girls would be a little tired today after a great neighborhood picnic with a bunch of our friends. I should've known that when Manny had to cart Abby home in tears as she had repeatedly disobeyed him, that today would be interesting.

It started out okay, but then it was time to brush Ellie's hair. Four reminders and it still wasn't done (her favorite brush was missing). In steps Mom to finish the job quickly since we were short on time for getting ready for church. Out come the tears and the temper tantrum. In front of her friend who slept over last night too. It was not a pretty sight. Now Ellie would be considered my drama queen. Very dramatic and full of emotion. We saw it this morning. In the end, she lost friend privileges because of her attitude towards me and her tantrum.

Abby lost her afternoon priviledges after misbehaving in Target. I think the store clerks were glad to see us leave after her teary session for getting in trouble for pushing her sister and ignoring Daddy. She's still in bed. Her nap started 3 seconds out of the parking lot. Yep. She was tired and cranky.

Ellie then had an opportunity to regain friend priviledges because she had been so good thru lunch and the store, by quickly cleaning up the mess she had made in the living room and sunroom over the last few days. A mess that I had reminded her needed to be cleaned up today. She insisted that she needed my help, and not getting it, she burst into more tears and eventually cleaned it all up thru those same tears. Oh my. Then she gave me more attitude and didn't regain the priviledges at all. Sigh. Ellie says her crying is because of me. I guess I have to be used to the idea that there will be a lot more tears to come. And we're still years away from the teen years. Sigh again. it's going to be a long journey....