I’m definitely honing my management skills parenting a toddler.  Negotiations are another story.

After a full breakfast with my son, playtime ensued by tossing a sippy cup of milk across the kitchen.  No-spill cups are no match for him.  Since it was no longer serving as a tool to drink milk but rather a weapon, I took it away.

In less than a second, a shriek rang out coupled with gritted teeth and shaking fists.  Where does he get this?  So I remove him from his highchair.  As his feet touch the ground, his body crumples on the floor into a full body meltdown.

Of course, you don’t want to reward such behavior.  But it is baffling how you go from a simple drink to this.  In negotiations, defining ground rules is essential.  I’m not sure how clearly those get communicated between a parent and a toddler.

I wonder if it would work if I responded the same way he did while upset.  But alas, it’s just spilled milk.