Birth Control

I was just sitting down to write a post about how angelic Arabella was after a rocky start yesterday, when Mommy imposed martial law in the household (no tv for an hour for each tantrum or episode of 'not listening', no between meal snacks except fruit) but then ...

Arabella said something, I turned around and discovered that she had used a spool of pink thread to make a web that spread from the livingroom through the entry and around the bannister and into the diningroom and used about a jillion feet of thread. While I was respooling the thread, I noticed she had poured the last of her milk tea in to her cereal (nearly uneaten) making raisin bran mush. I asked if she was done, if she would eat it or if I was going to throw it away, and she said, "throw it away". So I did. About 1 full minute after throwing it out, she came to me asking where it was, and I told her it was gone. She began screaming at me that I had to get it back. She is now in time-out, shrieking her guts out, and I am left wondering what one is supposed to do about the indecision drama queen. Yelling and spanking and time-outs and privilege-yanking and stern talking-to's makes NO IMPRESSION. Well, they work the first time or two, and then they don't. Here are the kinds of problems we have:

• Not listening: as in, not holding my hand when we cross the street (which led to her getting a big lump on the side of her head Thursday, as I was trying to catch her coat when she fell). I'm getting pretty sick of the brush-off. I also put getting into things she has been specifuically told to leave alone in this category. I hear you saying, well, yes, but 3-year-olds can't remember stuff. This is the child who remembers the name of every character on Dora, and who has been told to leave something alone (like the cat) less than 2 minutes ago.
• Temper tantrums: these mostly stem from being asked a question (this or that? eat or done?) and then changing her mind, often after the choice is no longer one to make. Although sometimes it is because I say no. Hey kid, screaming in my face is NOT the way to get me to change my mind about something.
• Not wearing enough / appropriate clothing: it's 19 degrees outside, Mommy is wearing thermals and a sweater and feels cold, and you think a satin cinderella dress will keep you warm enough? Can you say pneumonia? Again?

I guess I'll keep her, this morning she was begging to learn how to play backgammon. This from the child who counts: one-five-six-seven-two-nine ...

Tantrum is over, I guess I'll keep her.