It Works

Buster's attitude has only spiraling downward for the last three days... Don't get me wrong. Whining and being miserable is a huge improvement over all-out screaming tantrums, but there was no end in sight of the incorrigible attitude, so we hiked the mountain.

This mountain will either make them change their minds immediately before they get 50 feet up the trail or they will escalate to the  all-out screaming, throwing themselves on the ground, beating their fists into the dust and smearing the snot all over their faces till they look like something that blew in on a typhoon . Today, he chose to do the later.

We got past the steepest part of the hike when he came unglued. I encouraged and prodded and finally walked ahead of him. Usually this works because he won't be left behind. Not today. He turned around and ran half-way home. I kept going up. Eventually he got too scared to proceed. The grass is taller than his head. He's insecure enough to never be sure if he's on the right trail even though it's pretty clear and you would really have to have your eyes closed to get lost. He's not exactly logical, yet. He stopped and I would call to him, but mostly he was screaming too loud to hear me.

I stayed put. Every once in awhile he would begin to climb towards me, but it's hard there and he would give up and run back down. I called encouragements, but the last thing I felt I could do was go back down. That's what he wanted. I used my cel and called in my support team. Vanessa walked up behind him and said, " You need to obey mom, so get going!" and she walked up the hill and he followed. She gave him a few tips on how to do it easier, but the amazing thing is he did all himself and I usually have to help.

Buster was actually very glad to be back with me and the war was over. Vanessa hike up past us and blazed her own trail home without him even knowing. He marched up to the dead tree and was willing and ready to keep going to the tower. We were both red and hot. I suggested that since he was obviously over his bad mood we could just go home and get a drink of cold water and he could finish the job I asked him to do in the first place. The look in his eyes, the expression on his face, the tone of his voice; it's all changed.

It works.

If I didn't despise the climb myself I would do it more often, but truth is it takes a ton of patience to get through the coming-unglued stuff.