A - Z Challenge 2023 - O is for Outbursts

Please check out the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge
#AtoZChallenge
a-to-zchallenge.com

This year I'm writing about things connected with Being a Grandparent.  For an introduction to my grandchildren check out my theme reveal here.

Thankfully, being their Grandparent, I don't get many outbursts or tantrums when I'm looking after my Grandchildren but of course I have witnessed many outbursts between them and their parents.

Getting ready to go home is often a trigger, especially if they're not ready to leave.  Most of the parents are good at giving their children warnings and a countdown to when it will be time to put their shoes and coats etc on.  This often works but not always.  Especially if you get the timings wrong.

Vinny is usually really good for me, especially when I have him on his own but one day fairly recently I got the timings wrong.  I warned him that when the TV episode he was watching finished it would be time to get ready to go home.  Seemed reasonable to me but what I didn't realise was that each "episode" contained 2 stories.  So Vinny thought he was going to watch 2 stories.  After the first story finished and the credits rolled I turned off the TV.

Well it was like his worst nightmare had come true.  He was so upset and angry.  He took himself to the other end of the room and threw himself on the floor heartbroken.  There was no pacifying him and of course I couldn't work out what the problem was until his Mummy enlightened me when I finally got him home.  Took me ages to get his coat on he was struggling so much.  I gave up with his shoes until I'd got him safely buckled into his car seat and was out of range of his feet!  I won't make that mistake again.

Another trigger for outbursts is when the younger ones spoil the older one's games although they react quite differently.  Nathan will get very angry and sometimes lash out, Rory and Noah just tend to get very upset.

Not winning a game can also cause outbursts if we don't get in quick and suggest another game or an alternative distraction.

I think the hardest outbursts though have been when Ella has not wanted to be left with us while her Mummies go out.  She went through a phase when she was not happy about this and would proceed to scream.  And scream and scream and......  More with anger than upset too.  There was no way of pacifying her when she was like that - if you tried to cuddle her she would just push you away.

The best way was just to ignore her and start playing with some of the toys, building a tower or something else that eventually she would come and join in with.  But she could scream for a looooooong time.  Thankfully none of the neighbours have reported me to child services....yet and the last couple of babysitting stints have been easier.

It can be a bit tricky when all of them are together, especially with the older ones, two's company three's a crowd definitely happens here at times and of course at nearly 5 and just 6 their negotiating skills still need a lot of work.  We need to keep a close eye on them and try and intervene before there's trouble.

Grandparenting is never dull and never be fooled by the "butter wouldn't melt" look.