Ignoring the Emotional Blackmail of a Pint-Sized Terrorist

It's only noon, and I feel like it has been a long day.

First, the kiddo and I went to the gym--I went to two classes and she hung out in the child care area with some friends. Typical Tuesday. What happened on the way home, however, was far from typical. At least it better be. It better be an isolated incident.

When we left the gym, the kiddo was her normal, happy-go-lucky self, until we got in the car. Then, it was as if someone flipped a switch and she started complaining about being hungry. Mind you, she had breakfast. She just chose not to eat all of it. That, too, is fairly common, so I wasn't concerned. Apparently, I should have been. The kiddo started whining about how she was starving, and asked if we could go out to get something to eat. I said no-can-do, since we had food at home and I didn't feel like going anywhere but the shower. That set her off. She insisted that she was starving and demanded that I take her somewhere and buy her something to eat. When I asked if she had eaten all her breakfast, she said that she hadn't. (Um, could that be the reason she was so hungry??) Finally, I had to tell her that I refused to have the same conversation over and over, and that she already knew the answers to the questions she was asking. That was when she exploded. "You always do that!" she bellowed, and started throwing her paper around the back seat. OK. Enough of the 'tude. I pulled into the turning lane, put the flashers on, and told her that I wasn't taking her anywhere until she calmed down and started acting like a lady. She pouted the rest of the way home. Then she ate the rest of her oatmeal and politely asked for some apple sauce. After she ate that, I offered her a Lara Bar and that made her day, and she thanked me and was back to being my sweet kiddo.

OK, so the kiddo was hungry because she didn't eat enough before we went out. I get that. I can remind her when we will be gone for several hours and encourage her to eat a good meal so she doesn't get hungry, but I can't force feed her. I could have packed a snack, but I was planning on coming straight home. The real issue seemed to be that the kiddo wanted to go out to eat. We went to the pool yesterday and had snacks in the car on the way home, and Sunday, hubby took her to the fair and they came home with milkshakes, so I think she is going out enough and getting sufficient treats. The rest seems to be pushing my buttons and testing me to see when I will cave. So, did I cave when I gave her the Lara Bar? I was going to give it to her anyway...