When we got home from preschool (excuse me, pre-K) Tuesday Megan asked for her bag of fruit snacks (she gets one bag a day, if she keeps her underwear dry, which she's been doing for a year) I went to hand her the bag and she crumbled "I wanted to eat them in the car on the way home!" she moaned emphatically, then collapsed in tears. This was the third meltdown since I'd picked up that afternoon, and frankly I was quite tired of it. I walked off and left her there. David tried coming out to the car to talk to her as she cried and screamed. "David, walk away!" she yelled at him. I told him he should probably just ignore her for now. He did, but he wasn't happy about it.
So the next day David and I had a 'discussion' about it. (it wasn't always civil, but we did okay) He doesn't want her to turn into a drama queen, which I can understand. But I'm concerned that if we try to stop the tirades, are we squelching an emotional outlet? And don't we all need emotional outlets, at least at home?
Wednesday, when I picked Megan up, I told her we were starting a reward program again. If she goes all day without a meltdown, she can pick a present (wrapped toys from the Dollar Store) right before she goes to bed and open it the next morning. She really wants that present. So far it has worked (even at school, I filled her teachers in on the plan also) If her self-control starts to slide, we just say "Megan, no meltdowns." She's managed to pull herself together every time.
But don't we all need a good cry once in a while? Am I doing the right thing?
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