fights

This is a conversation I had the other day with Ruby;

R: Mum, watch me, I'm gunna make a show for you wif Tigger and Bambi. (stuffed toys)
M: OK, what is it about?
R: It's a fighting show, they are gunna have a fight!
M: Hmm, I don't know if I want to watch a fighting show.
R: But Mum! It's gunna be a good one! Her is gunna hit her!

well, in that case.....

It has been a fairly mellow week. I have had some really baaaaaad days with Ruby that left me close to tears. She had massive temper tantrums in public twice last week, and it is really getting me down. Trying to manhandle a 4 year old through Aldi's, who is shrieking at you, is very demoralising. When a 2 year old has a tantrum, you take it as par for the course, but when it is still happening at 4 you start to feel like an awful failure. But really, i don't see what else I can do. I try to involve her, distract her, be consistent- all that stuff. I never, ever give into her demands, she is never rewarded for her bad behaviour. Anyway, last week was very hard. But then this week we went to Kmart quickly and her behaviour was fine, so I treated her to a 'minicino' at the cafe. Ruby sat at the table like a little lady and said, "oh, this is wuvly Mum!", so I went on and on about how you get to do 'wuvly' things when you are good.

Today the boys are having a mufti day at school. This is where they get to wear normal clothes, instead of their uniform. In return they bring a gold coin (ie, 1 or 2 dollars) as a donation to a cause. This time it is for the Bush Fire appeal. Both boys took some money from their own money boxes to give to the red cross, so that makes me feel that i went right somewhere along the line. Simon, especially, is really starting to understand the scope of things now, in some ways I find that very sad- he is realising that the world is not always happy or safe.