Big Fits

The big fits, as we so affectionately referred to them, have almost disappeared. Ava was the most skilled of the two in the arena. She would use her whole body while yelling, not screaming, but that monotone yell that causes her voice to be hoarse. She was always trying to say something. It would usually start off with something like, "NO I DON'T WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" and dissolve into something unintelligible. Fortunately for everyone within earshot and/or the line of vision of these big fits, she's mostly outgrown them. Granted, she's replaced them with some occasional theatrics that include LOTS of whining, some running off to her room or some other place of "refuge", and some unintelligible words for good measure. However, she does reserve these impromptu shows for the times when she is very tired and/or hungry and/or just fed up with life.

Maria has never quite gotten the hang of these big fits. She is an even-tempered, model of peace 99.99% of the time. Once in a while, however, frustration over something just takes her over the edge and she begins these convulsive movements. Her voice gets really high-pitched and squeaky, "IT'S NOT FAIR!", with the word "FAIR only audible to certain dogs.

One night, my girls graced me with a double-feature. It was short-lived so we recovered quickly. A discussion, however, ensued about why they don't see adults displaying that type of behavior (well, not often anyway). I explained that most adults probably tried those methods as children but were given the same lecture I was giving them and that's how they came to figure out different ways of showing displeasure (stomping, chemicals, passive-aggressiveness...these all quietly came to mind). I demonstrated what it might look like if I did that type of thing next time something didn't go my way. They thought this was HILARIOUS! We all had a good laugh. I came across the following video today and oh, how I wish I had this during that conversation. As usual, please pause the music before playing (IT'S A MUST):

[Disclaimer: Yes, I too thought of the possibility that this woman had some very tragic circumstances that precipitated this reaction. It doesn't change the fact that this is a real life example of what I was showing my girls.]

Chinese woman missed air flight at hongkong boarding gate @ Yahoo! Video

xoxo