Virtute.org

That’s her favorite phrase.  Throughout the day she’ll just say "I’m Charlotte."  During dinner, when she plays, as I hug her good-night.  I wonder how much of her behavior i s because she’s Charlotte and how much of it can be attributed to being 2.

I love her dearly, but she is the most stubborn, strong willed little girl that I know.  The other day she turned a 2-minute time out into a 20 minute time out because she refused to say sorry.  After the timer went off, I asked her to say sorry.  She refused.  I told her if she said sorry she could come down.  She only said "I want out of time out" (notice how many more words that is–sorry would have been much shorter).  The conversation continued in this way.  I periodically checked to see if she was ready to say sorry and it was about 20 minutes later when she finally mumbled a barely audible sorry.  The next time she earned a time out, she did the exact same thing.  Luckily today she apologized much quicker.

 

Yesterday after watching the football game at Zach’s work, I put away a toy she had been using so we could go home.  She was so upset that she refused to put her coat on or go to the car and she wasn’t backing down.  It got to a point where we had gotten her out of the building and she was standing on the sidewalk with no coat on crying and refusing to come.  We got in the car, buckled everyone in and started the car, but she remained until I finally got out and carried her to the car (Isaac was really worried that we’d leave her) .  I wanted Zach to start driving so she’d really believe we’d leave her, but it was cold and dark.  Nevertheless, when we got home she refused to get out of the car and come in.

Today she had periodic outbursts of crying over almost everything.  One of the worst ones this evening started when Isaac put a piece of toast in the toaster.  Charlotte was already toasting her own toast, so I’m really not sure why she was so upset.

This evening she came out of her room after I had put her to bed (believe it or not, this is the first time she’s done that because until a few days ago she didn’t know how to open a door).  She sat on my lap and told me she was Charlotte several times and also told me she was not bad, bad several times.  I comforted her and told her that she is good and that I love her.  We did spend some good happy time together today.  I taught her how to put a shirt on a hanger and how to unload the dishwasher (she actually enjoyed both activities) and I played with her for a few short periods of time, but at the end of the day she had cried and cried and we had scolded her and were upset with her.  I hope she doesn’t think her parents think she’s bad.