Cry, Baby. Go Ahead and Cry!
That is what I said to my daughter last week when she began crying for the umpteenth time that day. Yes, I know that was very mature of me to say that to a six-year-old and I am sure you can guess what good it did. None! Of course she started crying even harder now that mom had ganged up on her in addition to the brother who prompted her crying in the first place.
I just couldn’t help it! I swear she must cry at least three times a day over something absolutely ridiculous. I’ve been under a lot of stress lately, so maybe her crying fits are weighing on me more than usual. I asked her what would happen if mommy cried over the same things she cried about. Like if someone cut in front of me at stoplight and I started blubbering and screaming about how that wasn’t fair. Or what if the waiter placed the wrong dinner entree in front of me and I burst out in tears that it wasn’t what a wanted and it looked gross? Or what if I threw a huge fit and cried every time someone stared at me? “Stop looking at me,” I would scream at the top of my lungs! Or what if I sobbed uncontrollably when Target closed because I wasn’t ready to leave yet?
She got the picture and the little crying fit ended up in laughter as she pictured me crying and screaming in the Target parking lot. We all got a kick out of the scenario and all was good. But not ten minutes later did I catch her crying because her brother was bothering her. If you missed my blog about how much my kids fight, you can read it here and hopefully show me a little sympathy. I will say that the fighting has improved a little, and they also have started playing together much more than they used to, which is so nice to see.
I am sure that crying is just a stepping stone in life. One of those things that kids have to go through so they are prepared for the real world … but sheesh! When does it end? I keep telling her that it is going to be like “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” if she keeps this up. She is going to be crying about something justifiable one day and I am going to blow it off because I think she is crying about getting the wrong color gingerbread man while playing CandyLand again.
Do your kids cry as much as my daughter does? Have you ever actually kept track of how many times they cry each day? I have a feeling you would be surprised. One of my girlfriends counted the cries when her son was a toddler and one day she counted over twenty times that he had cried! It is funny when it is someone else’s kid, but ANNOYING when it is your own! How about those of you with older kids … does the crying ever end, or will it just roll over to teenage drama with more tears?
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