Tuesday, August 2, 2011

I've Done It Again

When we got back home from our family vacation in Montana Haley immediately talking about going to visit Grandma and Grandpa.

We had been talking about visiting them, when Haley wasn't around. 

We decided that we should talk to them about it the next time they called.  We didn't want Haley to hear the conversation because we knew it would be awhile before we could visit and Haley doesn't really understand the concept of time.  Her Big Sis warned us - she said that Haley has a "Spidey Sense" about these things.

Grandma and Grandpa called at the regular time.  Haley got to "talk" to them, like she usually does.  Then I took the phone from her and handed it to her sister.  I told her that her sister wanted to talk to Grandma and Grandpa and then I asked her if she needed to use the bathroom.  It gave us enough time to verify the dates and get things worked out and then Haley got the phone back when she was done.

Everything seemed to go off without a hitch.

The next day when I walked into the kitchen Haley got out the dry erase markers and wanted me to write Grandma and Grandpa's house on the calendar.  I assumed that someone had told her.  It was almost August so I thought it was time to change the calendar anyway.  I cleaned July off the calendar and started adding August.  I put the visit to Grandma and Grandpa's on the calendar.

That started it.  She wanted to pack.

I tried to explain to her that it would be several weeks before we would go.  We counted the days.  I took her finger and pointed to each day as we counted.

It was no good.  She is like a broken record.  She will not stop.

Later in the day I asked her sister to help her make a paper chain like they do at school when they are counting down to an event.  That seemed to help for a little while.

The next day she was at it again.  She says she wants to "Go."  It has gotten to the point that I have to avoid that word all together.  If I use it in any context she immediately thinks I mean that we are going to Grandma and Grandpa's. 

I explain the situation to her again.  She gets mad. 

She has been having "two year old tantrums," actually throwing herself on the floor kicking and screaming.  Every morning we go through it again, she thinks that each morning we wake up it will be the day that we are going to leave.  We have spent the last three days with a very unhappy child and I am scared.  I understand time. 

She may not be counting the days, but I am.

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