The flip side

I posted today about Oliver's tantrums. But it's unfair to just paint that side of the picture. It's also true that, like the rhyme, "when he is good he is very, very good...". He can be very affectionate, well-behaved, considerate and polite in general. And he is a perfect big brother to Lucy.

The other night, some time after he had gone to bed, Lucy woke in the next room crying. The monitor is in Oliver's room (as Lucy is still in ours) and we heard him say "It's alright Lucy, we'll get you sorted".

Then again today, not an hour after the most horrendous tantrum, he repeatedly kept interrupting the book he was reading to get down and pick up the toy that Lucy kept dropping. And prior to the tantrum he had been as good as gold this morning.

We both love him to bits, no matter how frustrating and exhausting his behaviour is right now. The only reason we are putting him (and ourselves) through this "tough love" is to lay the foundations for lots more happy days to come in the future.