Note to Self

I recently noticed that whenever one of the kids goes through a more challenging phase than normal, there is always some circumstance that plays into the change. A couple of weeks ago I had a challenging week with Eli--he was really pulling out the stops to manipulate and control me. I wracked my brain to figure out why he would be acting this way, and on my list was the fact that after having eleven straight days of his dad being with us, Pat not only went back to work but worked both weekend days as well, leaving Eli with twelve consecutive days of no daddy, except for the evening hours.

I also know that it is nearly impossible for kids this age to express what is bothering them verbally, so we have to read it in their actions. Sure enough, after having a regular weekend with Pat home, Eli was back to being himself again.

I promise myself to remember the next time a difficult phase hits to look closely and I'll probably find some circumstance that is contributing. This may not help the situation at all, but hopefully it will save me the anguish of wondering why, despite all my efforts, my children are all of a sudden acting like "those children."