Today we went to the big story time at the library a little farther away from our house. The library just down the street from us is closing for renovations, so I thought we would try the music one again. Results - MIXED!!!
The story time had changed in the roughly 4 months since we had last gone to it. There is a new librarian and a new format. The format is just fine - I have no issues with it. But, it wasn't what I expected, so I wasn't able to fully prepare AJU5. It started off with the librarian walking around and letting everyone ring the bell to start "class." Then, there was a welcome song. After the welcome song, everyone got a wand. There were actions to do with the wand - like make circles and hearts in the air. AJU5 had a lot of fun playing with the wand. But, then they had to be put back... As one might expect, AJU5 did not like this. She melted down when a nice little boy took hers to give back to the librarian. She laid on the floor and kept crying "Not yours" - her normal response when we take things away (probably from me telling her things are not hers). She was quieting down but still laying on her stomach when a grandma tried to talk to her. The grandma was well-intentioned, but she just made AJU5 more upset. Then, the librarian told me I could take her out of the room and bring her back later. Umm... this would just cause more of a scene because I would have to get AJU6 into his car seat (in the stroller) and then pick up AJU5 and carry her out. Luckily, AJU5 started to calm down some more. Eventually she was willing to sit and look around. This was all during a book reading. Next came the instruments, the part AJU5 always liked. And, like before, she was willing to participate. She went and got two instruments on her own and sat down next to me playing with them while the music was on. She even put them back without a fight, maybe because she had done that before.
I don't want to teach AJU5 that crying gets her out of things. She already cries and tries to get us to put her in her bed when she is upset (because she didn't get her way). So, I didn't just want to leave because she was upset. And, when everyone left her alone, she wasn't being disruptive. Yes, a few of the kids were wondering why she was laying on the ground, but it wasn't because she was loud. Hopefully next week I can prepare AJU5 for having to give back the wand so there is no melt down...
4 comments:
Two is SO fun! :-D The tantrums at this age are sooo hard to deal with, especially when you have to account for a second child in the removal from a situation. I have noticed with T that if we don't back down, the standoffs get shorter and shorter. Our major battle has been food. He'll eat one thing or nothing and just drink his milk and call himself done at supper. DH and I want him to at least TRY whatever else is on his plate. While I was out of town, there was a standoff on the order of hours over whether he would take a bite or not. My husband finally won. We're to the point now where he will scowl and complain, but when we tell him to take the one bite of whatever meat or veggie is on his plate, he'll do it with minimal waiting.
Just hang in there and hold firm! This too shall pass. Some day. Eventually. I hope! LOL
Feeling your pain.
I think the librarian should back off. "Not yours" is really funny and cute. We have never been able to do library story times-- I don't know why, but harry never liked them, and Jack was overwhelmed by the B&N one we went to a couple of times. Jack's awesome new trick is to freak out each and every time he has to go in his car seat. It makes going places a joy, let me tell you.
OMG story time went GREAT when it was just Charlie. Wes is not a story time kid. He FREAKS out when I try to make him stay in one place and I'm screaming on the inside "It's a PUPPET SHOW! Why can't you sit still for a five-minute PUPPET SHOW!" Yeah. I get it, I totally do!
And yeah, the librarian should be a veteran of this kind of thing. Lighten up librarian!
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