Putting out fires and taking names

So the kids got home from school.  I went out to meet them.  I saw that Blake was crying and Drew looked mad.  I opened the door for Blake and he jumped out of the car and into my arms.  He cried all the harder.  Mrs. Hoehne said that neither boy wanted to get in the car and were both being uncooperative.

I pried Blake's legs off my waist and put him down.  He went crying into the house.  There were no pumkins to kick over on his way in this time, so he made do with slamming the door.

Onto the next kid. Drew pulled a move he hasn't done in a couple years.  He refused to get out of the car and braced his arms and legs.  I couldn't get him to budge.  Mrs. Hoehne got out to help. Together we got him out, losing only one shoe in the mayhem.   Mrs. Hoene wished me luck.  I thanked her and went into the house.  Drew had gone directly to the toyroom, leaving a trail of clothes and his backpack along the way.  Blake met me in the living room, still crying.

When he saw me, he ran to his room and slammed the door and leaned against it, a sure sign of his distress.  I gently squeezed my way in and sat on the floor beside him.  He fought me when I pulled him into my lap, but almost instantly melted into a pile of blubbering tears.  I held him and soothed him with the classic, "You're fine, it's ok, Mom's here."   He let me hold him a few minutes and calmed down.  He looked up at me and said, "Grapes?"  so I knew he was better.  I got him situated with Yogi Bear and a snack and went to see how Drew was doing.

Before I got there,  I heard a lot of hrrrmph! ing and muttering.  I brought his milk in with me.  "No milk!" he yelled and tried to push it out of my hand.  He grabbed the remote and said, "NO TV!"  I knew he needed some calming exercises, so I pulled him off the couch onto the floor.  Got him on his belly and laid on top of him.  He said, "Get offa me!"  I talked to him for a couple minutes and he calmed down.  I got up and he said, "Squeeze me again, Mom,"  I obliged him.

They are both seemingly settled now.  Sometimes the littlest thing can put them in a tailspin.  Probably Blake didn't want to get his coat on, and fought Mrs. Theis about it, thus upsetting Drew and causing him to refuse to get in the car, which caused Blake to refuse to get in the car.  Who knows what caused the problem?  When you have kids like mine, you have to learn to roll with the punches.