Temper tantrum city

Rachel has about one a day. They're maddening, especially because in just over two weeks Drew will be home and he can help me deal with this delightful (ugh) phase of parenting. But until then, I'm on my own.

The other day on the way to school/work, Rachel was trying to get me to understand something she was saying and I just couldn't. Her reaction: "I'm NOT HAPPY with you! Because I'm FRUSTRATED!"

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More about all her vehicles: Today on the way to school/work, Rachel said, "I need to clean my fire truck, but not my school bus. I'm going to take my babies to school. They're very quiet." (Her kids, by the way, are Abby Cadaby, Bob and Delly. Sometimes they're toddlers, sometimes they're babies. It depends on Rachel's moods).

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Tonight she got angry when I wouldn't let her stay at school (the teachers were closing up the building and we had to go) and she started whining and crying on the way home. It was raining and cold outside, so she fell asleep. I got to have a blessed 25 minutes to catch up with Drew on his day, and then Rachel woke up and started crying. And crying. And crying. And crying. I held my temper for as long as I could and then partially turned my head and shouted at the top of my lungs, "ENOUGH!" Her whole body jumped and she started crying harder, but then the tears quickly subsided.

I calmed myself down and said, "Rachel, do you want to cuddle when we get home?"
"Yes," she blubbered.
She was crying again as we pulled into the garage and I silently took everything out of the car before coming to get her (I got the mail and read part of the New Yorker to calm myself down even more). We walked into the kitchen, Rachel clutching her blankie from school, and she wrapped her arms around my leg and leaned her tear-stained face on me. Without a word, I picked her up, took her to the glider into the bedroom, and held her tight while I covered her with the blanket.

Ten minutes later, she was fine. We had a nice Shabbat dinner, with her repeating the blessing after me and eating two jars of sweet potatoes and some chicken from the pot of matzo ball soup I made last week. Bedtime went off without a hitch.