Fight or Flight

"The biological response of animals to acute stress"

With me, being that "animal" this is a perfect explanation to our latest happenings. Let me start by saying that Addison is a very good girl and does her best to listen, help, obey, you name it. However, I think we are both treading into unchartered territory. She's entering the world of defiance, frustration, and.....fits. I'm entering into the world of insanity as a result - okay maybe this world isn't so much "unchartered" for me.

This past Monday was....interesting? Addison was having a rough day communicating exactly what she wanted. I was having a hard time acquiring the patience to help her figure it out. Yesterday was a little better, and hopefully today is looking much brighter. I'm hoping this is simply a phase and preferably not a "two-year phase" (i.e. terrible twos). I don't think I could survive if it was. I've been spoiled with a good little girly - what can I say?

So, any/every situation we run into runs the same course. It usually starts out with one of the following:
1. Addison wants something and can't communicate it.
2. I look at her wrong.
3. I manage to squeeze out some patience to help her figure it out - she does NOT want my help.
4. I talk to her.
5. I make her leave her desired area of play.
6. I buckle her in the carseat.
7. ::Insert any.other.action.here::

Then of course the response from her is usually either shouting, kicking feet, swinging arms, crying (yes this one...uh...lot), throwing herself down on the ground, yelling "Nope!", etc. (Fun eh?)

And my response varies as well....sometimes I can be patient w/it and try to help her (which again she does NOT want my help) and rarely calms the situation. Sometimes I just walk away from her, most of the time I send her to her room to cry (and she surprisingly takes herself there and comes out when she's done within seconds - it's pretty cute actually amidst all the chaos), and sometimes I leave crying as well.

So, I ask....What is wrong with my child?? Where did she go? It can't just be me because Daddy gets the same actions when he gets home too. Monday I felt like all we did was battle each other all.day.long and go back/forth to her room to cry. Please tell me this is only a very very very short-lived phase!

When I actually (and rarely) get around to sympathizing with her, I can tell she's trying her hardest to figure it out but just seems so confused as to what she needs to do to make it better. And of course throw in a bit of defiance and independence and it's chaos. Monday at dinner John and I finally realized this and felt bad for her and promised to do better w/her. Then of course Tuesday came around and we all seemed to start from square one.

So, I promise I'm not a horrible parent! I haven't beat her....yet ;-). But yes, I have ended up in tears and frustration, probably just as much as she has if not more. We are learning together and separately but the voice of reason rarely makes an appearance amidst the chaos....it's usually MUCH later.

Anyway, I can still acknowledge that she IS such a good girly and really does do a good job listening and trying and communicating. But of course, she is still learning/growing and figuring out this fit-throwing thing. Hopefully she realizes it doesn't work with us and quietly purges it from her strategy. In the meantime, I'll be getting a quadruple dose of learning patience and how to lock myself away in my own room to cry.