What ridiculous and unreasonable things do you do to avoid a stressy meltdown?

[AtYourCervix]

I am about to put on my shoes and drive to bloody tesco to buy DD some mints.

She is completely addicted to extra sugar free mints. She eats an awful lot of them.

This stems from her reading on the internet about a year ago that sucking mints stops you feeling sick. She feels sick all the time. So now she must eat mints all the time while not actually feeling any better and still moans that she feels sick all the time.

Anyway, deep breath, She has run out of mints. This is, of course, my fault. The packet I hid as standby appears to have gone missing.

She actually went into school this afternoon so is now in a foul stressy mood anyway and needs the bloody mints.

So I am going to go and get some because if I dont she will be extra vile and upset and argumentative and orrid all evening. Of course I could not go, but that would make her worse.

Please make me feel better and tell me I am not the only one who does stuff like this?

and how do I break her addiction? should I even bother to try?

I would go to tesco to. Annoying at times but much better than dc having a meltdown. You are not alone. Ive just gave ds about 5 tangerines one after the other to stop him crying. As we speak is standing with another 2, no more lol well maybe 1 the rest are getting hid.

Tell her to try peppermint tea maybe? Much better for her. I think some sugar free mints can have a laxative effect when over done.

trip to tesco begrudgingly done.

£10 later.......

mints for DD2

reduced christmas choccies for DD1 and DH

Wine for me

I'll suggest the hot water. tried peppermint tea with no success unfortunately. the sugar free bit is to save her teeth. hey don't seem to affect her guts.

Have allowed ds to line up cartons of juice along kitchen counter, pour juice down sink sometimes, empty potatoes from bag into a box (likes to unwrap everything out of packaging). I have cut labels out of everything he owns. Back when he was at his most obsessive, we have sat in the dark as he wanted the lights off and have sellotaped his favourite spoon together when it finally fell apart etc etc. I no longer view these things as mad they are just part of our life...

AtYour I wouldn't even bother trying to break the addiction. I would have done exactly what you have done.

Yes, I did engage the help of a very hunky behavioural therapist to stop my sons repetitive speech, repetitive speech, repeptive speech

However, there are certain other things I just give in on. I cut photos out of the Argos catologue and DS covers because he hyperventilates and flaps if I don't. I let him carry round dvd covers. He brushes his teeth once a day if I clamp his head between my knees and force him

Choose your battles. The mint one ain't worth fighting (although I can totally understand how annoying it is!)

it was also quite a good excuse to get the wine too

she's cheered up a bit. phew.

Oh, and don't get me started on Petit Filous. It HAS to be the ones with layers (4 out of the 6 yoghurts have red-layered fruit on the bottom. 2 out of the 6 have yellow fruit on the bottom).

Will he eat the yellow ones? No.

Will I get in my car and go out because we have no red ones left? Yes.

I'm currently spending a ridiculous amount of money on yoghurts, because all the yellow ones go in the bloody bin! My other children won't eat them just to spite me, I'm sure

Have walked to local paper shop at 5am to buy blu tac at grossly inflated prices because ds needs a new packet every morning and he'd stolen an extra one in the middle of the night.
Let ds have the master bedroom at our holiday house because it was the only room where he thought the wallpaper was acceptable. I had the single bed and dh had the sofa
Spent an absolute fortune at the school fair so that dd could win a scruffy second hand teddy on the tombola that probably cost far less than I paid when new.
In actual fact probably hundreds of things when I think about it.

so it's not just me then? phew.

Walked to school [just under a mile] in the pouring rain this morning because Dd3 wouldnt go in the car.

And buying her an ice cream in february and standing on a freezing beach while she eats it, necause you have to eat ice cream on the beach.

Ho hum, will do most things for a quiet life am i making a rod?? I made it a long time ago. Lol.

maybe that's why my back hurts. it's all those bloody rods!

Yep, they're a bugger aren't they.

try telling her root ginger is a good anti sickness. I dont know where you get them now but I used to take a ginger herbal tablet when I was pregnant (those and a ton of ginger biccies ) Boiled water definately helps and helps with indegestion too

imogen I am laughing in recognition...I have often said that when he is overwhelmed, DS has no boundaries and would crawl inside me if he could. Must be awful in his skin ....
I too have carried perfectly mobile melting down child past judgesother parents. Driven around town to find icecream cone dispensers (in January!).
Thumb tacks are our current obsession ; we have moved on from blu-tack (lucky us).

god both DDs have been vile this evening. GAH

Drive way out of my way to get one specific yogurt that is not widely stocked -
Same for one type of biscuit, one brand of bread, etc etc etc

Give one very hefty 4 yr old endless piggybacks because it makes him laugh (and plus its like getting a hug from behind, saddo)

We're currently toilet training, so we have lots of very special songs to sing, and he gets endless buttons so he'll go. Child will get diabetes before he is continent Dangerous ground since it takes 2 of us with brute strength to brush his teeth.

But mostly it is rearranging EVERY ASPECT OF OUR LIVES to suit him, even DS1's.

AYC - Have you any idea why she feels sick all the time? My DS felt sick a lot until he cut out dairy......

Have you tried playing with her diet at all?

I keep jelly beans in the car and but DS can not just be offered one. He has to choose between two. Even if it's, "a green, or a green one DS?"

The bedtime routine is utterly scripted including me having to pretend to snore a certain number of times and at the correct volume.

And many other tiny rituals which make daily life easier.

you've reminded me, ds has sweeties to eat in the car on the way back from grandmas house, (she puts a few in a little pot for him) he has to have 5 sweets, is upset if there are more.... but is also upset if you take any out.... argh!

Ah, the bedtime ritual. DS is pretty portable now, and will happily sit watching a DVD's at friends while we drink too much wine catch up on important stuff. But no matter how late he gets home he MUST have a bath. Even if its midnight. Even if he's actually gone to sleep at a friends house and put his pjs on there, he must have a bath when he gets home.

I drunk-bath children at midnight. Please don't call the social...