Did You Put on Your Cranky Pants This Morning?

Mornings are not the easiest time of day for some people. The long lines at coffee shops in the morning and the abundance of morning-themed Facebook memes attest to that. In our house, mornings usually aren't too bad. The kiddo is generally in a good mood and eager to get to school. Some mornings, though, are aberrations, like this morning.

The kiddo got up, got dressed, came out to the kitchen and started grunting at me. I tried to give her her usual good morning kisses, but she pushed me away and kept grunting. It took a few minutes, but I eventually figured out that she wanted to check on her plants to see if they had sprouted. Since she wouldn't come out and use words and I was collecting the recycling, I told her to please go somewhere else. Well, that caused more grunting, plus some whining. Mornings don't bother me too much, but that kind of behavior makes me want to go back to bed and hide under the covers.

My main focus was on getting the kiddo ready for school and out the door, but I didn't relish the idea of spending time with her if she was going to act ugly. I kept busy and had hubby take her to school, but I made sure to tell her that the reason I didn't want to walk with her was because her actions bothered me and that I would spend time with her after school on the condition that she act nice.

It worked like a charm! After school, the kiddo was all huggy and kissy and held my hand all the way home, and didn't grunt once. I don't know if she just woke up in a bad mood and needed to get it out of her system, or if my response to her actions this morning made an impact. However, I'm sure there will be many more opportunities to find out.