Sierra is extremely strong willed. She especially shows this personality attribute when she doesn't get to wear exactly what she wants, exactly when she wants it. She demands that she wear a dress everyday. The problem is she wants a different dress every hour, and sometimes she wants a fancy Easter dress when we are going to work in the garden. When her fashion needs are net met immediately an amazing tantrum ensues. I have been a mother long enough to know the appropriate thing to do is to ignore such screams of frusteration. But Sierra does not make that possible. Yesterday I was ironing some shirts I wanted the girls to wear to a farewell dinner we were having with Russ' clients. She got excited when she saw she was going to match the big girls. She wanted to wear it right away. When I told her she needed to wait until I ironed it she started screaming. She screamed until she stopped breathing, turned bright blue in the face and collapsed. Just when I was ready to call 911 she started breathing again. To show her power she then went in the bathroom and locked the door. I kept trying to make sure I heard sounds in there to know she was breathing and alive.
I've heard of screaming until you're blue in the face, I've just never actually seen it. So now tantrums take on a whole new level of anxiety around here. So I give her what she wants and spoil her, or do I ignore her and perform CPR everytime she doesn't get her way.
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