Thursday, August 30, 2007

17-Month-Old Going On 17-Year-Old

I'm not sure what is going on with Chase. Maybe it's her teeth. Maybe it's all the moving. Maybe she's tired of her toys. Maybe she doesn't like our temporary housing. Maybe it's the fact there has been a lot of construction outside so she isn't sleeping well.

At any rate, her behavior makes me feel like I have a teenager in the house. Except I guess I'm lucky because teenagers storm out of the room and take off in the car. Chase, on the other hand is still too afraid to be more than a couple steps away. And even if she mustered up the courage, how far could she actually get with Bedtime Bunny, Lola, Grr Bear, Baba the Sheep and her three language books - which must go everywhere with her - in tow?

But seriously, I don't have the faintest clue as to what is causing the fluctuation in Chase's behavior. She is a perfect angel one minute. And then the littlest thing happens - or nothing happens - which causes her to have a breakdown - which includes crying, screaming, arching her back and twisting her way onto the floor, where she flaps her arms and kicks her legs, as if to say "you just don't understand."

After trying multiple times to soothe her, I have found that distracting her with a "look what I'm doing, isn't it fun?" works the best. The problem is, I'm having a hard time finding new, fun, things to distract her with - every 5 minutes - which seems to be how often she has her breakdowns. So sometimes I pretend to ignore her (which I never really do and I am always very close by to ensure she is safe).

She has yet to throw a major tantrum in public. I think when that happens (and at this rate I'm sure it's just a matter of time) I'll just sit down next to her, get comfortable, and let her get it out of her system. Or maybe I'll make a scene, too. See how she likes it.