30 Really Rough Minutes

I haven't had to deal with this for a while. At least not to this length. But today I was met with the mega-tantrum. A fit that lasted close to 20 minutes. What makes it even better? We were at an indoor pool. Just think about the echos. I'm pretty certain that people in Honolulu could hear the antics.

So this week we are doing a swim camp type of thing. The kids have 30 minute lessons Mon-Thurs. Jeffrey has been taking lessons since February, but only once a week. But July is busy, so I decided we'd do a condensed version. Yesterday was the first class with the new teacher. Jeff always tests the bounds with the new teacher (he's had 4 since February). He decided he was just going to do his own thing, and not really listen to the teacher. The guy got Jeff to do a few things, but really Jeff just wanted to play his "sit on the bottom of the pool" game. (Erin on the other hand went from being nervous getting her hair wet to jumping feet first into the deep end of the pool and paddling to the side on her own).

When we got to the pool today we had the usual talk...

"OK. Now you NEED to listen to your teacher. He's trying to show you some new things. I want you to listen to him and try them."

"OK mommy"

Now here is where mommy made the fatal mis-step. I let the kids get into the pool 5 minutes before class started. I explained to Jeff that he needed to stay ON the steps or at least within reach of the side of the pool. After two warnings about I told Jeff he needed to get out of the pool. I counted him down and that was when chaos erupted.

He threw his body stiff as aboard. I had to pull him out of the pool and sit him in the chair (getting myself pretty soaked in the process). He screamed as if I had just thrown his precious blankie on the fire. He continued to do this for 15 minutes. I explained to him that when he showed me he could calm down, I would let him get in the pool and join the lesson (which Erin was participating in).

"I WANT TO CALM DOWN" he continued to scream. Without calming down. I explained that he needed to SHOW me he was calm.

Once he realized that I wasn't giving in he starting with "YOU"RE NOT MY FRIEND" "NO ONE'S MY BUDDY"

And then the hitting started. At that point he was removed to the locker room, stripped of his swim suit (at which point he pulled my hair) and reclothed in his shirt/shorts.

He spent the next 10 minutes of Erin's lesson sulking (but at least not screaming) in a chair poolside. I cheered as Erin jumped again into the deep end, dove down to get a ring from the bottom of the pool, and swam about 20 feet only grabbing the teacher once. Remember in June she wouldn't get her hair wet.

So while I wanted desperately to hide. To become invisible. To make my loud, rude and unruly kid evaporate (at least until the fit was done) we both seemed to survive. I feel badly for all the other people trying to accomplish something within a 10 mile radius having to listen to "YOU"RE NOT MY FRIEND" continuously. Still I stood my ground. At the end of class his teacher came to him and said he hopes Jeff can join them tomorrow. And that he wouldn't put up with not listening either, just like mommy.

We'll just see what happens tomorrow.