Lucy stubbed her toe in our neighbors back yard while we were having Memorial Day burgers and corn. She screamed REALLY loud. The neighbor worried about her being hurt. I could tell by the scream that she was screaming mad. On the way home, her little black be-jeweled Croc came off her foot and she scraped her precious tootsie on the sidewalk. Again, mad screaming. The we got into the house and she screamed at me when I told her she would need to wait until after bath time to eat a snack. (She had gone after a cheeseburger like a dingo on a baby not even an hour earlier; so I knew she wasn't actually starving like she claimed to be.) I sent her to her room where she slammed the door and screamed and cried while I got her brother into the tub.
Before I go on, I should say that I have at times in my life had a terrible time controlling my emotions. Maybe Lucy learned to lose her temper watching me. Maybe we are just hard wired to have a hard time letting things slide. I have no idea. None the less, I completely understand how Lucy feels when she loses her temper. My heart really hurts to watch her lose it. I try my best to show her my techniques for coming back from the dark side. We deep breathe, we count, we try. But I also understand how huge rage can feel, even in a tiny person. Man, I wish she had gotten my hair instead.
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