Sarah has hit the terrible 2's!

I knew it was inevitable, but it's for SURE now.

 

To make a long story short, i carry the girls EVERYWHERE!  Yes, i'm a SU-KER!  I worry that if i don't, they'll dart off in a parking lot, so better to be safe than sorry, right?  SO, today i was feeling brave and the parking lot at MDO was empty.  SO, Hannah and I picked up the girls and i decided to make them walk out to the car, holding my hand.  THAT was NOT a good idea.  Sam is pretty laid back and will do whatever i want, as long as she gets a reward at the end.  SARAH is NOT that easy to please.  We were walking out of the room and both girls were literally hanging on my legs, yelling "UP, UP"!!  BUT, i was NOT going to give in and i could see that all the teachers were watching.  In my mind i was thinking "yeah, YOU take some notes, just in case God plays a little trick on YOU TOO!"  LOL!  Totally kidding!  But either way, i stood my ground.  I mean literally Stood my ground..and Sarah was not having it.  I pretty much dragged her to the car as she hung to my leg.   I felt like such a HORRIBLE mom.  But i know i did the right thing, because if you give in, they'll assume your going to give in each time and that's not what i wanted.  SO, we got all the way to the door to the parking lot.  It gets tricky here because i can't just walk off and leave them in the parking lot screaming(as i had secretly wanted to do at the time).  SO, i held their hands and physically tried to walk them to the car, all the while, watching to make sure Hannah was with me and not running out in the middle of the parking lot. Thankfully, she's really an angel and such a great child.  Anyway, we get two steps outside the door and my sweet little angels LAY DOWN in the parking lot.  YES, I'm serious, they LAID DOWN in the driveway and would NOT get up until i picked them up.  I slowly drug them towards my car..holding on tightly to one hand of each child.  I was actually giggling under my breath the entire time, because i'm 110% sure i looked like a FOOL!  Dragging my poor sweet children through the parking lot b/c they DID NOT want to walk to my car...they still wanted "UP..UP"!  Anyway, we finally get to the car, after a few cars stopped to ask and see if i wanted help(which of course, i said No thank you, just trying to get the girls to walk to the car instead of me carrying them like a child that can't physically walk, themselves).  Anyway, we get to the car and i was able to coax Sam into getting into the car with Barney and snacks.  NOT SO LUCKY with Sarah.  She was SOO mad at me by then she was pitching the biggest fit i have ever seen in my life of parenting children thus far.  She wouldn't get in the car, didn't want me to pick her up and honestly looked like a child i had nabbed on the way out of a store, that wasn't actually my child.  Yes, it was really THAT bad. 

All i could think was...What a bad parent i looked like as i tried to get her into her car seat.  I literally wrestled her and physically kept shoving flalling arms into the car seat as the other would fly out.  I would shove her waist down to get her to sit and she would arch backwards in order to get out of the car seat.  All the while, the rain was coming down.  I fought and fought with her to no end.  My sense of humor kicked in by then and i was seriously laughing at what i must have looked like wrestling this 24 lb child and trying to get her into her car seat.  Finally, about 20 minutes into this knock down drag out, a lady i've met a few times walked up to the car laughing and said, "i'm SOO glad i'm not the only one going through this".  I started laughing and as she was talking Sarah was watching HER and i was able to snap that car seat as fast as ever!  AMEN to my sweet babies being scared of people.  The nice lady then walked off laughing as Sarah started SCREAMING at the top of her lungs like i had just cut off her arm.  YAHOO, i could finally relax a bit and leave.  I got in my car with her screaming at the top of her lungs and giggled.    LOL!  I can't even imagine what i looked like in the parking lot...but it HAD to be humorous!  At that point i got Hannah and Sam their snacks as Sarah yelled SANCK, SNACK.  I did NOT give in once again.  She didn't get a snack and she DID NOT get Barney.  She got to sit in her car seat all the way home while i told her that she should have walked out to the car like a big girl and she would have gotten her snack and Barney. 

Through this all, i have learned that i really do have to stand my ground.  When i tell them something, i have to mean it.  I have to stop catering to them to keep the peace.  I'm doing them and myself a disservice.  They are learning to totally take advantage of me.

If anyone has any great suggestions for disciplining twins..please email me.  I'd love to hear any and all suggestions b/c i'm really worried that Sarah is only beginning to hit her terrible 2's and it's going to go down hill before it gets better.  I just don't know what to do.