White Coat Underground

If we stop for ice cream, the terrorists win

Posted by PalMD on October 18, 2009
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Ahh, Saturday night. Our plans were simple. MrsPal wanted to run some errands at the mall, and PalKid wanted to go out with me for sushi. The plan sounded great, but I thought, “hey, it’s Saturday night. We should hang together as a family.” So I ran it by everyone and we agreed to have dinner some place everyone likes, and then go run errands with Mom.

One of the “rules” for taking multiple choice exams is “never change your answer”. I’m really good at multiple choice exams, but apparently I fail at life. Kiddo was a screaming mess most of the evening, tantruming every five minutes about not getting this or not getting that. At one point during our trip to Target, I was pretty sure someone was going to call the cops.

After muscling her into her car seat, she said she still wanted to go for ice cream, and we told her NO! at which point we became the meanest people on the planet, perhaps the universe. I kept waiting for her to wear out her voice, but it wasn’t gonna happen. Finally, we got home, unloaded one exhausted child covered in drool, and had a good family cuddle.

Next week, I’m going for sushi–and sake.

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Comments

  1. #1 Mrs Pal
    October 18, 2009

    Next week Mrs Pal is going to the mall herself!

  2. #2 daijiyobu
    October 19, 2009

    Here’s what to tell the waiter:

    “mo ichido saki kudasai”

    [that is 'mo-ee-chee-do-sa-key-koo-da-sigh'].

    One more saki, please.

    -r.c.

  3. #3 micheleinmichigan
    October 19, 2009

    Ahhhh, I’m so glad it happens to other people too.

  4. #4 BaldApe
    October 19, 2009

    Sooner or later, if you have superhuman consistency, they quit doing what doesn’t work.

    It drives me nuts to see people caving to the checkout line tantrums, especially after saying no and making everybody listen to 15 minutes of screaming, then caving. All that does is teach them to be persistent pests.

  5. #5 Mandrake
    October 19, 2009

    Ahhhh, I’m so glad it happens to other people too.

    I have to admit to some schadenfreude here, but it *is* comforting.

  6. #6 The Perky Skeptic
    October 19, 2009

    Man… do I feel the pain.

  7. #7 micheleinmichigan
    October 19, 2009

    My daughter was a terrible store tantrummer and runner. Oddly, she wasn’t (isn’t) very materialistic. If I said “we don’t have the money for a toy” She handled it. It was the leaving the store or play area. Oh my, I can’t even count the number of times I carried her out kicking and screaming (sometimes pushing my son’s stroller with the other hand). It was truly awful. I always gave her a 3 minute before leaving warning and I never gave in to her tantrums, but I swear that made only a little difference. She mostly just grew out of it. (She’s 6 now).

    With some kids (who transition hard) I don’t think it’s so much that it “works” on their parents. It’s that they get so wound up and set on what they want that they just completely lose it. Alternately, it could be that when they figure out they’re NOT going to get what they want they may as well lose it and teach you a lesson. I’m not sure.

    My son isn’t much into tantrums. He whines. And he does want this toy or that toy incessantly. I handle it the same way, not giving in. If we’re home I tell him to go to his room if he needs to whine. In stores I’m sure the people around me are very annoyed by the whining, but on most days it’s so much better than the tantrums, It doesn’t really bug me.

  8. #8 Tsu Dho Nimh
    October 20, 2009

    Was it the change of plans that set her off?