Evening Treats

In our house, when one eats a good dinner, they become "treat eligible". Or, if they are Helen, they become "treat ellabajol". Of course, some nights, you might be "treat ellabajol" and end up getting no treat at all. That happens when your mother gives you your requested snack, vanilla ice cream on a cone, and you glare at her and whine "it's not enough". Your mother responds "we can discuss the quantity of ice cream after you finish this". You stomp your foot. Your mother tells you "you may say thank you and begin eating your treat, or you may give it back to me and snack will be over, and we will move onto bath". You defiantly shove your ice cream to the counter.

Your point is made.

But your mother has a point to make, too.

Your mother announces it is bath time and carries you to the bathroom. You scream so loudly, and in such a sustained nature that your au pair comes running down from her upstairs bedroom because she hears water running and thinks you have been scalded. Your mother assures her that you simply lost treat. Her eyes practically pop out of her head because at this point, you are seriously making a point.

Only it's about lost ice cream, which is not all that compelling of a point to make. Your au pair returns to her room, shocked because she's never seen this before from you.

You continue screaming, kicking, and toss in a few light hits as well. Your mother runs bath water. Inside, she reminds herself to remain cool as a cucumber. And she pats herself on the back because she does.

She goes back to the kitchen to retrieve you, because you are well aware that treat is in the kitchen, and you somehow believe that if you are in the kitchen, you will get to gain back possession of that treat.

She places you in the bathtub. She begins washing you, as if nothing strange is happening as you continue screaming at full volume. She lets you know that you may either play in bath or continue screaming, but that if you continue screaming, you'll have to do it outside because it is much too loud for inside. You pause.

Your mother also tells you that if you are screaming, bath for you will be over, and that will mean it's book time. You come to your senses and stop screaming.

Your brother comes to bath and questions why you behaved the way you did. Your mother takes a deep breath, because she thinks another screaming fit is coming on. But it doesn't.

Your brother and you have a nice bath. Your father feels so badly that losing treat has been so hard on you, he comes out to your mother (who is preparing for her pilates class) and asks if there are any circumstances under which you may get your beloved ice cream cone.

Your mother looks at him and asks "after that? No!"

Your father's heart breaks, because he is a softy, through and through when it comes to crocodile tears and little girls. Your mother admits that if she had known your reaction would be so sustained and loud, she would not have issued the initial pronouncement. She would've given you more ice cream, even though it would no doubt end up in the trash or melted on the floor because it would've been too much.

When bath is over, you get out without any arguing. Your mother wraps a towel around you that is your "fancy dress" and you go to "Amity's window", just in case she's there for you to wave at. You exchange raspberries, kisses, and giggles with your mother. You enjoy an extra story in your mom's lap before she heads off to pilates.

Your mother drives off wondering how the screaming child and the giggle child can possibly be the same person. She's thankful that she's never seen this intense screaming child before, and reminds herself how she got off so easy when it came to tantrums with her other child. Those number fewer than five, and at least two of those were completely understandable.

In the end, your mother is pretty impressed, because with lungs like those, you could become an opera singer. And with a stubborn streak like that, you could level any man in a boardroom who crosses your path.

Inside, she smiles and thinks everything will be just fine. Although she is hoping the next time you are "treat ellabajol", you actually get to enjoy the treat. Because that argument? It was totally NOT worth it.

I believe this marks tantrum #1.