There is no try

We thought we were out of the woods with Natalie’s crying fits. The first day of school went off without a hitch and we thought, wow, if she didn’t cry on the first day, it’s smooth sailing from here on out. That week, a four-day school week mind you, she cried 3 out of the 4 days culminating in a trip to the principal’s office. Oh yes, I’m officially out of my mind.

We have tried it all; one on one time, nurturing, coddling, positive reinforcement (Yay! You only cried two times today at school, not five!), bribery and the number one choice of Catholics, straight up guilt. At one point I was even ready to promise her a horse if she would just stop with the waterworks. I know that she’s just trying to get a little more attention but at what point do you say enough is enough? It happened again today and when I returned home from work defeated, I asked Paul, “What should we do now?” Without skipping a beat, he said, “Easy, I already told her that for every day she cries I’ll cut the head off of one of her stuffed toys.”

Of course he was kidding (at least I hope he is), but I am seriously out of solutions and hanging by a very thin thread. I’ve gotten advice ranging from, “It’s time to whoop that ass,” to “Just take her out for ice cream and make her feel special,” to “It’s time to cancel Christmas!” I’m not looking for an easy answer, we’re willing to be disciplined and consistent, nurturing but firm, and always all about letting her know that we’ll always love her.

As I was putting her to bed, she asked if I was still mad at her. I told her I was really disappointed, not mad. She said, “I’ll try very hard tomorrow not to cry.” I invoked my inner Yoda and said, “Do, or do not. There is no try.” She just rolled her eyes and went to sleep. When I got down to my office, I found a piece of paper on my chair. It was a crayon written apology complete with a line drawing of she and I holding hands. She’s good. It seems the student of guilt has now become the master.