So THAT'S a tantrum...

I have seen tantrums before--from a distance and with the look of disdain. You know, the "I know how to stop that" look that non-parents give to the frazzled moms and dads of toddlers.

I had just never seen one so up-close and personal.

Brayden is quite passive. We have rarely had problems with disobedience because he seems to understand boundaries. It takes just a time or two of telling him not to do something, along with the reason, before he learns. He even puts his toys in time out for acts of disobedience.

However, he has always been whiney. He cries easily and requires cuddling (which I am always happy to give). Much of the time when he is in time out, it is because I cannot pick him up and he cries.

Today was either just a bad day for him or the official beginning of "the terrible twos." I was hoping we could just bypass those completely!

We were at church this mornign, transitioning from his Sunday school class to the sanctuary of our church. He turned around, looked at me and demanded, "UP!" I explained that my hands were full, and since we were just a few feet away from our seat, he could walk there and I would then pick him up.

Immediate crying.
I get him to the pew and ask him to quit crying.

More crying.
I try a few more methods of persuasion before he finally stops.

A few minutes into the service, he asks for juice. I explained that he could have some at a later point. Guess his reaction?

Immediate crying. No--wailing.

I repeat the above steps, but I have to take him out before he finally settles down.

I will spare you the details of our third incident. Let's just say I end up gathering our things and leaving church early. He goes to his bed for some needed alone time.

This was his pattern all day--with Daddy, too.

Fortunately, Mamaw rescued him this evening and gave us break.

**The weather was lovely this evening, so I attempted a photo shoot. Most were in crying mode, so I'll sort through those later...