No, Paper
It seems simple enough. My 3 year old daughter wants paper. There’s a stack of lined sheets that I put on the table, along with the blue marker she had previously opened. Except, it’s not right. She doesn’t want this paper, but I don’t know what she does want. I leave the paper on the table anyway, where my daughter then proceeds to throw a full-blown, 20 minute, queen of all tantrum.
“No paper! No paper! No! No! No paper!”, she screams repeatedly, crying from her steadfast position in the corner of the room.
Ear-piercing. She was adamant.
Yes, Paper
After so long, with not a break to be seen in the tantrum, I gathered the paper as she railed to put away. Except that was no longer right, either. No sooner did I have it together in my hands than her mind changed. Oh, for heaven’s sake.
“Paper! Paper! Paper! Give me that paper! PAPER!” she screamed and cried, still refusing to budge from the corner of the room.
Ear-piercing. She was adamant.
Who the hell knows anymore about the paper?
What I do know? 3 year olds are utterly mind-boggling and confusing. I sometimes feel so lost with her, at this age. But it seems like a lot of time and aggravation and eardrums we could have saved ourselves, here.
My 2 yo daughter is the same! She is so fickle that she changes her mind about things she wants in a matter of seconds. Drives me insane too.
Hang in there! The tantrums will translate into words soon and there will be less anguish.