Standoff

Last week I had a fun parenting morning.  The true limits of my daughter's stubbornness were tested as we faced off in an epic battle of wills.  It all started first thing in the morning.  Talia had gotten up early (as usual) and woken up her brothers (as usual).  They had gotten her a little bowl of cereal, which she had eaten.  She then came upstairs and woke me up saying that she was stinky and needed me to change her.  I got up and changed her in her room, but she wasn't poopy at all, just wet.

When I was done with the pull-up change.  I handed her the diaper to put in the trash can that was two feet away from her.  She let the wet pull up fall through her hands to the floor, then turned around and started playing with a toy.  I asked her to pick up her pull up and put it in the trash please.  She looked at me and said "You do it Mom."  Hmm I don't think so.  I told her she needed to do it.  We argued about it for a few minutes and finally I said "You can't come out of your room until you put the pull up in the trash."  I left.

I checked in on Talia every 15 minutes or so to see if she had put the pull up in the trash or if she was now willing to do it.  Every time she just fussed or layed on the floor and stared at the ceiling.  When I finally checked on her before my shower she had fallen asleep.  She slept for about an hour and a half.  When she woke up I went in and got her dressed and ready for the day.  Then I said "OK, are you ready to come downstairs and have a snack and a show?"  She answered "Yes!"  "Alright, then put that pull up in the trash and let's go!"  Ahh the sticking point.  She still wouldn't put it in the trash.

She stayed in her room.  Again and again.  It was quite a productive morning for me since Beckett was napping and Talia was stuck in her room.  What made me laugh the most was that she wasn't even playing in her room.  She didn't get out a single toy or book the entire five hours she ended up staying in her room.  She was just lying around being bored and stubborn.

Finally after I had gotten Davin off the bus and made him lunch she decided to bite the bullet and put that pull up in the trash.  I was so excited for her and she was happy to come out of her room and have some lunch.  I think she just got hungry.  Either way it was parenting for the win! Yay!

She is very careful to ask now if I am going to put her pull up in the trash or if she has to do it while I'm changing her.  So far we haven't had a repeat of the trash standoff.  I can't believe she chose to stay in her room for five hours.  It's like all of the defiance and stubbornness that Ian and I ever had as kids is concentrated into our one tiny two year old daughter. Wish me luck in the coming years that I will be able to nurture this sweet girl and not let her stubbornness get the better of me.  :)

FYI, this is not my child, but it's a pretty accurate depiction of her stubborn face.