Maggie’s occasionally been absolutely exhausted in the morning, a total bear. No particular reason I can think of as bedtime is the same. Probably a growth spurt.
It’s not every morning, but I’ve learned to recognize when there’s going to be a fight getting out of bed. These fights can turn into toddler breakdowns and 40+ minutes of screaming and fighting.
Yesterday I came in and Maggie was passed so far out that I was worried. I did the referee hand drop, nothing. Shook her, nothing. I went over and changed baby and turned on the light which started to rouse the sleeping beast.
She said that she didn’t want the light, didn’t want up, and to leave. Slightly nicer than that sounds, but the sentiment was about the same. I told her she could sleep a few more minutes but that she needed to get up in a bit.
She moaned that she didn’t want to go to school. I said fine, which confused her.
I shut off the light and asked if she wanted to hit the potty and use the iPad. She said no. This is an unheard of statement from this child. You say iPad and potty, unless there’s a bubble-wand around there’s going to be an excited toddler.
I knew at that point that we were going to have a fight or I was going into work later, which was an option yesterday, just not one I wanted to deal with. Some days I have nothing to do, and some days I am swamped. Yesterday I knew I was swamped in the morning. Today I am swamped after noon.
I had to get her up. Toddler logic time.
I grabbed the iPad and gave it to her baby sister. Now Maggie loves her baby sister, but all things are Maggie’s. All things. She expressed that she didn’t want baby sister playing with the iPad as it was hers.
I told her “the iPad has to be played with, it’s you or baby sister,” to which she dragged herself out of bed, waddled into the bathroom, and plunked down to wake up with some toddler videos on YouTube Kids.
Fight avoided, laying groundwork for eventual sharing, bam.
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