Explosions

In the last few weeks Nora Lee has been experiencing powerful emotional outbursts. She still remains, in general, a calm, reasonable person; but from time to time she will suddenly feel very angry or frustrated. It's most often directed at me and she blames me for something that happened to her. For example, she ran into the dining room table and hurt herself and she screamed, "Mom, why did you put that table there!!" She has also said things like, "I'm so mad I want to hit you, I'm not going to, but I WANT to!" I've told her that she can feel however she needs to feel but that she can't yell at me. She is allowed to go in her room or scream in the cave (which is soundproof). I have also talked to her about hitting her bed or pillows to let some of the energy out. She hasn't had an upset since this conversation so she hasn't tried it out yet, but she was excited about the idea.

The emotions remind me of turmoil some teenagers have when something relatively small can just make them go crazy for a second. Here are some recent quotes that I found rather funny and beautifully illustrate my point.

#1

Nora Lee: You are such a bad mom!

Me: Don't say that. It's not kind and It's not okay.

Nora Lee: Its just that you are so not easy to control!

#2

NL: Mom, you are such a hand-full.

#3

Me: I dont want to play with you anymore because you are being bossy and it's not fun to play anymore.

NL: I'm not being bossy. I'm just guiding you.

#4

Matt and Nora Lee were having a power struggle over her wearing socks. They went back and forth and then, of course, it was no longer about socks but about who was in control. Matt was explaining that when we say you need to do something, you need to do it.

They came to an agreement and Matt said, "Next time I tell you to wear socks, you need to wear socks. I will make you wear socks. Nora Lee responded, "Next time I will make YOU make me wear socks."

This cracked me up that she was determined to get the last word on the power struggle, even to the point of making Matt make her do something. Crazy.

Luckily, it seems that this is only a stage and perhaps a necessary one. It's been mild compared to what it could be and I am grateful!