You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit.
It has a nice ring to it don’t you think? Never have I been more grateful to a preschool teacher than when my 5 year old was in his first year of preschool and told me that was what the teacher said when all the kids were complaining at snack time. I cannot imagine what that preschool teacher went through dealing with 23 complaining kids when I only have to deal with my 3. Poor woman.
I’ve used that saying 5,384 times since I heard it. At least.
You see, we have a problem in our house that is an epidemic, really. Every child simultaneously decided that the color blue was the most coveted color. For everything. And, don’t be surprised to hear that my daughter is the one that started it. Not my boys.
It was as if one day, suddenly, blue was the best. And, I kid you not….it’s made my life hell some days. I never thought it was possible to wish that a color would die. Disappear. I mean, you wish that of your enemies, but a color? That’s a little ridiculous.
But, I knew it was a problem that was getting out of control when my husband went to the store and bought a stack full of blue cups and set it down on the counter triumphantly. “Now, no one has to complain that they didn’t get the blue one”. If he was fed up, then you know it was bad.
In fact, I think the first two word sentence my youngest put together was, “Blue one” He had to fight to survive the battle of the blue cup.
Like most houses, we have a plethora of plastic kids cups, plates, and bowls. I like the IKEA kind because they are small, and easy to use. But, the problem is that they come in too many different colors. And, no one in this house wants anything but blue. “I want the blue one!” they scream out at breakfast. lunch. and dinner. Even our dinner plates have 3 different colored trims. What do they all want? The blue one, of course.
I try reasoning. But, reasoning with a 2 year old is like trying to get all the sand out of the crevices of your car after a trip to the beach. It’s impossible. “It doesn’t taste any different in the orange bowl.” I try as the tears are flowing. Because heaven forbid we eat out of a green bowl instead of a blue one.
“But, he had the blue one last time!” they argue through tears. How can they remember this, but they can’t remember something I asked them to do 5 minutes ago?
I try, “You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit”. They finally eat their oatmeal sadly out of the orange bowl through sniffles and blue colored sadness.
The next day something like this occurs:
5 year old sits at the counter. Two year old is still climbing into his seat when 5 year old watches me pull two different colored bowls from the cabinet. He’s quiet. Just watching. He turns to his brother, “Chandler, you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit.” He’s trying reverse psychology on me already. I call his bluff and hand the blue bowl to his little brother.
Tears.
“I NEVER get the blue bowl.”
“You had it yesterday buddy. Remember? And, what about the saying, ‘You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit?'”
“But, he had the blue one last time!” (still crying)
Two year old gets angry. “Blue one!” he yells trying to make sure the precious blue bowl is not ripped from his tiny fingers.
Maybe you think this phase will pass. I thought so too. But, here we are almost two years later and blue is still the best. It must make food taste better. Drinks must be more refreshing in blue cups. Because frankly, I can’t wrap my head around the fact that these fights go on every single day.
And, as I was browsing pinterest a few minutes ago, I saw a picture of a bunch of multi-colored balloons. My 2 year old saw it too and said, “Mommy, blue one.”
When I’m checking into the mental ward and they ask, “What brings you here?” I think I will just mutter, “The blue one.”
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Hahaha! When I was a kid, my sister and I somehow thought the yellow gingerbread man figure in the Candy Land game was the only good one. Mom would have to take it out of the rotation or use it herself or make someone pick their game piece fro behind her back, but it was still a mini issue. No one eve liked the color yellow, but that yellow guy was the BEST! My kids have not designated a coveted color, but if they knew it was an option, they would do it in a second! My daighter always wants the red thing because that is her favorite color, but her little brother hasn’t realized that he can cause chaos by wanting it too yet. Just the same, they find constant reasons for crying and fussing. I was not around little kids a lot growing up and the amount of crying and whining has been one of the most eye opening things for me about having kids. For a while I thought they were extremely unhappy, and then I just realized that kids (some kids) (my kids) just cry and whine a lot. I think they secretly enjoy doing it.
Well, I was a major whiner and crier. Still kind of am. So, I expect it I guess, but sometimes, I just can’t believe it still.
Have you secretly snuck into our house? Because this is a daily thing, really! And while we are on the subject of blue, it’s my favorite color too, although I do not throw a fit if something isn’t blue. I think you will enjoy my post today since it mentions colors.
Awesome! Can’t wait to check it out! 🙂
I have a very similar saying in my house – “You get what you get, and you don’t get upset”. And it has saved me numerous times too! Up to now, my girls have chosen their theme – one is pink and one is purple. However just last night my 3 year old asked me to “wash the purple off her walls and make it pink” like her sisters. As if that’s happening. She’ll have purple until my husband has another insane moment when he thinks we’re painting the rooms again….which will be never.
Great post! I think I may resort to all pink cups if it comes down to it! IKEA should take note and sell solid coloured packs!
Seriously. Because I love IKEA, but the fighting over the colored cups might make me insane. And, the “as if that’s happening” line killed me. Too funny.
You know what I’m going to write, right? You have GOT to take them to see Blue Man Group Their heads will EXPLODE!! (Actually, maybe exploding child heads would be bad. But it is three cool blue guys making music out of PVC pipe. Seriously. If it’s an east coast thing, youtube it and you’ll see what I mean.) Also, you could paint YOURSELF blue like Blue Man Group. Maybe they’d all cut you a break?
(Adorable post!)
Oh my gosh. Yes, I know about the blue man group. I think you’re on to something. BLUE PEOPLE!!??? They would die. Ha!
OMG! This is so my house too! We have a rainbow array of fiesta ware for our dishes and there are two of each color (because of my two daughters arguing) …but still they will find something else to want that there is not two of! I think kids know it makes us nuts 😉
It’s like they feed off of it! Ugh.
Ha, yes, my daughter will insist on certain things. “I need this plate. My brother can’t use it. I need to use it. Only me.” It starts to hurt my head.
That’s funny! It’s the same in our house, except the color changes daily. I don’t know what memo they get in the middle of the night to tell them each the coveted color of the day, but they always wake up wanting the same color. It’s crazy.
We use that phrase at the daycare that I work in. Imagine all 15 kids sitting around a table asking for the red cup. It’s not pretty. I really think we should have one color cup – that’s it! All yellow, no choices, no whining, no complaints. Johnny got the red cup, why can’t I? AHHHHH!!!
Oh you poor poor soul. Daycare workers deserve to be grumpy. 🙂
While I’m sorry everything is … blue … at your house, I laughed very hard at this. But mostly with understanding.
We don’t fight based on colour here – thank goodness, and I think my youngest is still too young to fight over a specific cup or plate. But I suspect it’s coming…. I’m now hoping forewarned is forearmed…
Consider it my public service announcement for parents everywhere.
Ooooh, classic! Whatever the others want must be best! I hated that about my Little brother, too. He would have wanted the pink one just to annoy me.
I will link up my story about a lunch party with 10 guests, 6 or 7 of them children. 10 different colors for plates and cups. Curious yet?
Sorry, I coulldn’t find that linkup button. Here’s the multi-color Story:
http://thethreegerbers.blogspot.ch/2013/05/rrrrribit-just-because-frog-party.html
I love it! You were very ambitious. Entertaining that many kiddos had to be quite the undertaking, especially with cute foods and all! BTW, I like to leave comments, but I don’t really like leaving comments only via Google+. You might want to consider changing that on your blog, because it might be inhibiting other people too from commenting on your cute posts. 🙂 Just a suggestion from a blogger of 7 years! Of course, maybe you will think I’m totally not minding my own business, and that’s ok too. 🙂
For some reason, this was one of the funniest posts ever!
Haha! That brings back so many fond memories of fighting with my sister 🙂 We actually didn’t have a set color, though. We just wanted whatever the other one had at the time. You’d think we could just trade and all would be well, but no. We jealously hoarded our own AND wanted the other bowl! And all that time, I had no idea we were driving our mom to mania! Maybe I’d better give her a call now…
You were smart girls. 🙂 Yes, definitely thank your Mom or send her some chocolate or something.
Loved this SO much that I just had to tell you that. I’m having a heyday imagining you, at the psych ward, curled up, and just muttering endlessly: “the blue one, the blue one…”
Thanks for the laugh!
So glad I could entertain! 🙂
Oh it’s so very true. The blue one, whatever the blue one is at every mom’s house, is going to send us all to the mental ward. I often have to dress my 3-year-old twins alike just to avoid the fighting over the pink sweatshirt, or the purple undies, or the striped pants. It’s sooo annoying.
I guess it’s innate for kids to be so competitive with each other. Hopefully it’s teaching them survival skills…or something. 🙂
Oh, I know the feeling, it’s not so bad here but what ever was I thinking having not 100% matching bowels. AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?!?! Why?
Yes. That part is what makes me the most crazy!!
HA! They do find the most ridiculous things to argue over don’t they?!?! 🙂
Absolutely!!
OK, I am totally stealing the “you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit!” I believe I have said “you get whatcha get” but the little rhyme is just plain awesome. I feel your pain. I’m sure you wish you could erase all things blue. Now with 9 kids, I guess the fighting over little things like that has stopped—we only have Corelle dishes anyway. Those aren’t worth fighting for. They do fight over the computer—one computer for so many means a lot of sharing! Let’s check in at the mental hospital together. It sounds sort of like a vacation!
haha! It TOTALLY does!
Oh yes, totally been through this, except it was pink for us. I have the IKEA ones too and I bought two sets so that every time my daughter had a friend to play they would both get exactly the same. They do grow out of it, but my ten year old daughter is the one who can’t stand pink anymore and my son doesn’t want the pink things either, so after all those years, those pink ones are now defunct!
Ha! Well, one day, I’ll stop having nightmares of blue colored things then? 🙂
1. Jesus loves me especially because my girls never acted this way. However, every soccer team under 6 has fought over which ball they would use. Every.single.practice.
2. I’m lucky if I get my girls to USE a plate at all. A blue one would be spectacular.
3. I wonder if you declared, “the blue plate gets more broccoli!” where the allegiance would shift.
Oh my gosh. You’re a genius. I’m trying it tonight!!
Oh, this was hilarious to read, but crazy-making to live, I imagine. My kids are not particular about color but must have whatever the other one does. My daughter, 6, will jealously guard a new item and declare it the best thing ever – until she sees something her brother, 3, just got. Then, she suddenly wants to “trade.”
Ha! Yes. Kids are sneaky that way. 🙂