A Memorable Tantrum

When my youngest daughter was very young - around two or three years old, she hated to go to sleep.

Bedtime and naptime always included drama of some sort.

Bedtime usually required me to hold her - tightly - and rock her to sleep in my rocking chair. I would always sing to her as I rocked while she cried, screamed and struggled. Her fighting usually included her kicking, squirming and squealing loudly at the person holding her.

Every evening would see the same result: She'd fight until she wore herself out and fell asleep.

When I rocked her, I would sing various songs to her. I usually sang soothing, slow songs to try to calm her.

On occasion, my husband would sit down with her to rock her to sleep. She hated that more than when I did it - because she usually only wanted Mommy.

One evening, he sat down with her to rock her to sleep and he began to sing to her quietly as she started her fight.

"Good night sweetheart, well it's time to go. . ." he started.

She immediately screeched loudly and began fighting even harder - kicking and squirming for all she was worth - while yelling at him in her adorable two-year-old voice: "I not your s(w)eetheart! Yet me go! Yet me go!"

Unfortunately, my husband couldn't quite stifle his laughter, which only made her more furious.

She did eventually get to sleep that night, but now that she's almost eight years old, we love telling the story of our favorite tantrum!