Tantrums

The move has been hard on all of us. Katie and Aidan have both given us behavioral issues. However, it's Noah that's given us the most trouble. Before the beach, he was very laid-back and fun to be around. Lately, it's been horrible. Every time we leave the house, he will throw a tantrum. He has to help open the car door and close the car door. If we go to a place, such as Target, that has automatic doors, he will refuse to come inside until HE opens the door. If we don't understand what he wants, he will literally forget every word and begin screaming at the top of his lungs. He will scream so loudly that my ears occasionally begin ringing now, even when he's not around. I am at the end of my rope. I don't know what to do to keep him happy, but more than anything, I just want him to communicate his needs to me. I don't want him to melt down over everything.

Today, Noah had a good day. We went to the post office, and he was sweet. He stood still and talked a little bit. Our tire went flat yesterday as soon as we arrived at a birthday party, so we had to get two new tires this afternoon. As we entered the store, Noah tripped and skinned his right knee. I tried to bandage it up, but he screamed and would not let me help him. I got him to relax, and I told him that if he was a good boy, we would get a treat. He repeated "good boy", and calmed down. After nearly 2 hours, the car was fixed, so we stopped by Steak 'n Shake for a grilled cheese, one of Noah's favs! We had to go to Publix next, and I asked him to be a good boy again. We walked calmly into Publix, got one of the carts he can "drive", and though he nearly melted down because he couldn't open the door from inside the cart, he quickly calmed down and he got a chocolate chip cookie. When the baker handed him the cookie, he smiled and said "Thank you!" The baker grinned. The rest of our trip was uneventful, and we managed an outing without much crying.

On Saturday, though, Noah melted numerous times. We went to Lowe's first, and there is something about Lowe's that Noah does not like. He screams bloody murder when he walks in the door. He was buckled into his stroller, but he managed to wriggle enough that he almost fell out, head first, during his fit. We went to Kohl's next, and once again, he screamed and cried. Payless was the same, and so was Target. We were exhausted and have no idea how to help him control these tantrums.

Aidan went through a similar phase, and outgrew it after about 6 months. 6 months is a LONG time.....................