Mealtime Mayhem
The terrible twos may have been a perfectly normal part of child development, but that didn't mean it was a fun time for the parents who dealt with it. In Grace's case, it was an everyday cycle of stubbornness, mood swings, and tantrums.
When Eva made it home, she found Neil in the dining room, covered in white macaroni and looking about as miserable as if he'd been given the death penalty. Grace was at the table, sitting in her dining booster seat and also covered in macaroni.
"Trouble with lunch?" Eva asked. The words were barely out of her mouth before Grace threw a fistful of macaroni at Neil's face.
Neil's glasses slipped down his nose as he gave Eva a pleading stare. "Please tell me we don't have this to look forward to when she's a teenager."
Eva picked the macaroni out of her husband's hair and gave him a quick, sympathetic kiss. She then stepped over to Grace, grasping the toddler's hand and frowning sternly.
"We do not throw our food at Daddy," she chided.
Grace scowled and wriggled in her seat. She waved her free hand at Eva, hitting her with the rest of the macaroni in her fist. Eva took a deep breath and wiped the pieces of pasta off her face.
"All right, that's it—time for a time out." She moved the chair Grace and her booster seat were sitting in so that it faced a corner of the dining room, then went into the kitchen to set the microwave's timer for two minutes.
Grace screamed and cried as Eva and Neil picked the macaroni up from the floor. Once this was done, Neil leaned against the counter, looking dejected, and Eva patted him on the shoulder.
"I don't know if Grace got up on the wrong side of her crib or what," Neil said, "but she pitched a fit over everything. Her toys, naptime...and you saw how she was about eating."
"It's just a phase," Eva told him. "As much as we don't like it, tantrums are one of the only ways she has to express herself."
"Yeah, expressing that she doesn't love us anymore."
"That's your depression talking, not you," Eva said, taking Neil's hand in hers and squeezing softly.
After the timer went off, Eva returned to the dining room and turned Grace's chair around. By now, Grace had gone from full-blown crying to quiet whimpering. Eva unbuckled her daughter out of the booster seat and picked her up in her arms.
"Are you done throwing food at people?" Eva wanted to know.
Grace nodded.
"Good." Eva kissed the top of Grace's head and brought her to Neil in the kitchen. "Now, tell Daddy you're sorry and give him a kiss."
Grace leaned in to kiss Neil's cheek and pat his face with her sticky hand. "Sowwy, Daddy."
Neil made a face, but it was quickly replaced with a smile. "Aw, apology accepted, princess."
