Sometimes it's just time for bed.
Like when it's 8:45pm and Audrey hasn't gone to bed yet. A good mood turns to bad and all hell breaks loose. Tonight she got it into her head that she wanted a jelly bean before bed. One jelly bean.
My wife and I told her she couldn't have sugar before bed and her protest lasted nearly 30 minutes. It wasn't a normal crying episode - it was more of a strained, chain-saw like mix between crying and yelling and she carried on until she began coughing and became hoarse.
Finally I told her that if she kept it up she'd be asked a question tomorrow by someone and when she opened her mouth she wouldn't be able to speak. Her voice would be lost. She said, "Really?" and I replied, "Yes, it has happened to many children and many adults." She told me she didn't know anyone who that has happened to and I assured her that she'd be the first one if she kept it up.
She quieted down right away. It was interesting to me that this rationale worked, if only because my other attempts crashed and burned in miraculous fashion. But because of this, within minutes she was cuddled next to me as I read her The Day It Rained Hearts, her new favorite book. She had again become the sweet little girl I know.
I have yet to figure out the psyche of a 3-year-old.
