When we have our first child, we get so wrapped up with the firsts, milestones, sleep regressions and let’s face it, absolute infatuation, that we don’t quite comprehend that our sweet, little baby is going to grow into a complicated, highly emotional, witty, stubborn small person. Or is that just me? As Bella is fast approaching turning four, her emotions seem to be all over the place.
She is usually content most of the time and spends her day running (quite literally) from toy to toy, whilst constantly commentating. When she’s not wrapped up in her own game, she bosses Flo around and ropes her into her make believe games. Flo doesn’t have a clue what is going on but she just rolls with it, as she loves any attention that Bella gives her.
I was under the illusion that emotions and outbursts get better with age. As Bella is approaching four, she seems to be more emotional than she was when she was “terrible twos”. It must be a tricky time for her because on one hand she’s old enough to know right from wrong and to have a conscious but on the other hand she’s still young enough to not be able to deal with her wave of emotions, when someone or something upsets her.
The tiniest thing can set her off, I stupidly gave her a drink in a pink cup the other day and it was the end of the world. Bella will only drink out of green or red cups preferably and she won’t touch a blue or pink cup with a barge pole! Sometimes this Mama doesn’t have the energy to pander to her needs and my usual response is “a cup is a cup, if you’re that thirsty you’ll drink out of the pink cup”, and Bella’s usual response is some sort of whining that I don’t understand.
Bella is very witty and has a great sense of humour but sometimes she really can’t take a joke. I rudely changed the lyrics to the PJ Masks theme song and she looked at me like I’d eaten her last chocolate button. Although they have the best relationship, she is also easily wound up by her little Sister Flo. Flo knows how to push Bella’s buttons and she takes the bait every time and has an angry meltdown.
These summer evenings are playing havoc on the girls bedtime routine. They seem to have way much more energy and haven’t been going to sleep until 8.30/9pm. The late nights probably haven’t helped Bella’s state of mind! Does anyone else have a four-motional child on their hands?