A Different Kind of First
Yesterday for the first time ever, I got stern with Zoe. I say “stern” because I’m still searching for the right word to characterize it. Somewhat unintentionally Zoe has gone from the baby girl I coo at to a little girl who gets guidelines. Today I spent my limited coffee time searching for answers – did I overreact (not sure), is this the beginning of what’s to come (yes), did she hold back smiles this morning because she was mad at me (probably not), will I do this more often now because of the slippery slope (hopefully not), and so on.
Here’s what happened. Zoe was good natured most of the day, with slight temper tantrums accompanied by an arching back and motions where she tries to fling herself from her current position, whatever it may be. While this was fine for the kid-friendly restaurant, and even the stroller ride to Whole Foods, when she did it on the changing table there was risk involved because it’s a long way to the ground. As a result, I sternly said “Hey”, as in “Hey, don’t do that – this is serious.” My tone must have been heard because she just stared up at me like I was a different person than the Mommy she knew, and then she started crying hysterically, and hit her head on the dresser in the process. This was obviously not the intended outcome; so much for my first attempt at teaching behavior. I’m sure this will be the first of many entries over the next few decades on this topic. All in all, if it had to happen sometime, I’m glad it was related to safety instead of “Hey, I can’t take it anymore” after a tantrum.
When I relayed the story to John, his comment to Zoe was “Daddy would never yell at his little girl.” We’ll see how long that lasts. 
