Barefoot in the Snow

Last night before bed I told my husband,
"I am going to start our day differently tomorrow.  We are going to skip the slow morning watching a video and just chilling out and we are going to make a plan to play.  I am going to make sure Callie has plenty of attention."
I said this because she and I have been struggling and I will try anything.  ANYTHING.  I thought, "maybe she doesn't feel she is getting enough attention from Mommy" Hard for me to see as possible since I feel that I give her all the attention I freaking have each day, but none the less, I am willing to try anything to figure this thing out.

Well, the day definitely started different alright.  She was taking a 3 year old stand today.  She wasn't going to put her clothes on, simply because I asked her to.  She was running around being ticked off because her Barbie Styling Head had a knot in it and she couldn't be bothered.  I was patient.  I gave her a chance to do it herself or do it the hard way.  Imagine what she chose.

So I sat on her while I put her clothes on and she kicked me and stuck her tongue out at me and whatever else she did to fight.  I put her boots on and grabbed her coat and she fought the entire time.  As I am grabbing my wallet she takes off her boots and throws them across the floor.  I am more than done at this point so I told her,
"That is fine.  You can go to Henry's school without shoes on." 
She didn't believe me.  Silly Girl.  The whole drive in she is screaming at me to put her shoes back on and she will be good.  She is screaming, crying and begging me and I just told her that I already put them on once and if she wanted to wear them she could put them on herself.  Again, she didn't believe me.

As we are dropping Henry off at school and his sister is standing there in her socks, I am getting looks from all kinds of parents.  Normally I would think these parents are totally judging my parenting skills, but today I started to look at these looks a completely different way.  These other parents were looking at her bare feet, on a snowy day, and me and they were sympathizing.  They have all had those kinds of days.  The kinds of days where you have a kiddo that just doesn't want to cooperate, who wants to take a stand.  They are all tired and don't have the patience for that crap either.  They have been forced to follow through with a strong willed toddler.

That's right!  My daughter is in socks on a snowy day.  She decided to take a stand and I am not going to be worked over by a 3 year old.  When she threw her boots off to "make me mad" it didn't make me mad.  I was very clear that we were almost to school and if she wanted to wear boots inside, she would have to put them on herself, which she is capable of doing.  She made the decision to keep them off.  She went in barefoot and she was ticked about it.  I heard about it all the way home and for the first 15 minutes after we got home.  I didn't respond.  I'd take her in in her underwear if she actually thought she was going to demand me to do things over and over for her on her terms.  She is 3 and she is incapable of reasoning and making most decisions on her own.  I am not letting a 3 year old have control over this house or me.  These days are long and hard but I know that her strong will, will be amazing when she is a young adult out in the real world...if she lives that long :)