We were having fun together all afternoon.
Then over the course of 5 minutes, for no obvious reason, my adorable playmate turns into a little monster.
He throws toys. He makes loud, annoying sounds. He puts his stinky feet in my face. He looks like he wants to cry.
I try to hug him but he rejects the gesture and blows me a raspberry.
I ask him why he’s so frustrated. Sad? Is he hungry? Time for a nap? No response. Just more attempts to make things difficult.
He’s rejecting all my attempts to return to a loving, fun afternoon.
I see his favorite fleece blanket. I pick it up, pretend I’m a giant, and start chasing him around the room with it. I see a smile start to poke out of his face. I throw the blanket over his head.
“Abracadabra, Presto Chango. I will now make this frustrated boy disappear! And for my next trick, I will make my delightful, fun laughing boy appear right here under this blanket!”
I dramatically throw off the blanket. He isn’t laughing exactly, but I seem to have broken whatever spell came over him. He lets me give him a hug. We resume a quiet game.
A couple minutes later, “Hey Dad, do the blanket trick again.”
I’m a little nervous to see what will come out from under the blanket. I hear giggles. Magic.
What do you do to change a sour mood with your kids?
In two weeks I’ll give a free piece of Kidorable knitwear to whoever makes my favorite comment.
