Tantrum Gold

Hailey is a champion tantrum thrower - gold medalist in the 2007 Daycare Olympics for the floor exercise. Her signature move is to throw herself on the floor, arching her back, kicking her arms and legs and, (more often than not) hitting her head. Resolving the tantrum usually comes in the form of a distraction (a book is usually the best diversion). However, daycare tantrums can often have funnier endings - here are a couple of classics from this winter:

Apparently, after trying to take a toy away from another daycare kid, Hailey was removed to the other side of the room. Keeping that child from something she has her mind set to will instantly create 'the perfect storm' (like a hurricane but with more whining). As she launched into her tantrum, Jamie (our daycare provider) decided not to honor Hailey's effort and did what all parents dream of, turned her back to the princess of pout. Not to be ignored, Hailey picked herself up, walked around to the front of Jamie and threw herself down to continue the tantrum - "Excuse me...did you not see that I am angry? I will NOT be ignored"

We have also really been struggling with the 'No Hitting' rule. When she is mad, she will just reach right out and smack your face. Correct me if I'm wrong, but we named her Hailey Anne, not Zsa Zsa Gabor! We grab her hand and tell her "No Hitting", but how much that registers with a 16 month old is debatable because... she still does it. She is a serial hitter/hugger with the other kids. I've seen her hit them, then give them a hug -almost as if she were sorry (but we know better) .On the flip side, I have seen her hug an already crying child, then hit them - almost as if to say, "Aww...it's going to be OK, now shut up."
My daughter, the lover and the fighter (with a two second time span).

So, with Hailey's temper...it is inevitable that she hits Jamie just as much, if not more than Mom and Dad. A few days ago, she hit Jamie and got her hand grabbed with a stern "No". That word didn't sit well with my Bug-A-Boo. She immediately went and grabbed her jacket and hat and took it to Jamie because she wanted to go home. Oh Hailey, if that is the way life worked, no one would ever put in a full day's worth of work!

So our drama gymnast wins the tantrum gold at daycare. Hailey fought it out with her other competitors, but still was able to hug them. She held good form, worked with explosive energy, demanded the crowd's attention and really stuck her dismounts. How could a mother not be proud?