Tempers

Most everyone had already heard this story, but it is worth repeating. At daycare the other day we were told that Nathan got mad and threw a chair. We talked to him about it and he said that Darren made him made and we thought he understood that you don't throw things when you get mad and lose your temper. We figured this was an isolated incident. It wasn't. The very next day we get a note from daycare that said that he threw three chairs! His punishment was that he had to stand at lunchtime to eat and apparently he did it without complaint. When we sat down to talk to him he claims he did it because his friends were making fun of him for not going to kindergarten. We told him that it was okay to be mad, but you don't throw things. That is wrong. He looks at us with an innocent look and says, "but Bill throws things when he gets mad." Apparently because Bill does it, it is okay. We told him that Bill needs to have his butt spanked when he does it as that it is not right. We then call up uncle Bill and proceed to yell at him. He promised to try to do better when his nephews are around, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Monkey see, monkey do!

Nathan gets mad but rarely loses his temper, while Darren loses his temper all the time. I don't know if he is to young to try and control it or if he has the same temperament as his Dad and uncle Bill. When we tell Darren that he is not allowed to have chips for breakfast, he goes into meltdown mode. If I tell him that he is not allowed to go outside or go bye-bye with Dad, I am treated to a ten minute scream-fest. If I walk away so I don't have to listen to him, he will follow me into the other room and continue to scream. I will walk with him into the kitchen and remember something from the boys room so I will walk back to their room. Darren will follow me and then when I walk out, expecting him to follow, he will scream/cry because he wants me to carry him. I usually walk away and let him scream/cry, but sometimes he will sit down and continue with his temper tantrum until someone talks to him or picks him up. Or he will stop in the entrance of the living room and refuse to walk over to me at the couch and scream until I come get him. Quite annoying! When he asks to be picked up, I have began to tell him that I won't pick him up but I will hold his hand. That had seemed to satisfy him for now.