My daughter woke up at 4am this morning, asking for milk. So I got up and went to kitchen to warm up some milk for her. When I came back, I found her sitting on the floor crying. "I wanted to go to get the milk with mommy", she shouted. I got down on the floor, and handed her the milk cup. She pushed it away and said "pour it out, I want to get it by myself". This is typical terrible two behavior. She wants to feel her bigness by doing everything by herself, on the other hand, she pretends to be a little baby sometimes.
I decided to let her cry for a few minutes. So she did, crying and insisting doing it by herself. After 5 mins, I picked her up and put her in bed. I told her "you have two choices: either you drink the milk and go to bed, or just go to bed without the milk. Mommy will let you "do it by yourself" tomorrow". She sat up and kept crying and saying "I want to do it all by myself". The tantrum lasted about another 10 to 15 mins. She was tired and lay down, she was still crying, but it sounded weaker. So I patted her and told her " I love you, and I know you are a big girl, but sometimes you can't get to do whatever you want." She cried for another 5 mins, and then asked for the milk. After she finished the milk, she rinsed her teeth with water and drifted to sleep.
I tend to do whatever she asks for, but I know that is not the right way to raise a child. They need to learn that they can't get whatever they want, that is just the truth. I hope she learned that from the "milk fight". Tough love.
