so frustrating

This starts out sweet, and ends OK, but in the middle; it was just so frustrating!

The Kiddo's Gramma and Grampa J are coming this weekend for a visit. This is always big excitement for The Kiddos, and they spend a few days prior to the visit talking about it non-stop. So, this morning, The Babe wants to put together her puzzles and leave them so that Gramma J can see them when she gets here. Isn't that sweet? I think so.... But Gramma and Grampa aren't coming until Saturday, and The Babe has chosen to do her puzzles on the kitchen island.

I explained to The Babe that if she wants to do her puzzles on the island, I will have to pick them up today. I use the island *a lot*, and I can't have her puzzles there. I told her that if she wanted to save her puzzles for Gramma to see, she should do them on the dining room table. That table is rarely used because we have an eat-in kitchen with a table which is the common meal place. Doesn't that seem so reasonable? I didn't tell her she couldn't do her puzzles, I didn't tell her she couldn't save them for Gramma; I just told her she would have to use a different table.

Well, I guess that's an awfully unreasonable thing to suggest to a 5 year old. I had given her that news and, not realizing it was a big deal, left the room. She cried. I came back in the room to investigate, and The Babe was sitting at the island crying. She doesn't want to do her puzzles in the dining room, she wants them on the island. The thing is, it wasn't a throwing a tantrum cry, it was like she really was quite sad and upset about this turn of events.

So, then I tried to explain it very nicely. Gramma would love to see her puzzles and all the hard work she put into them, so we should make sure she gets to see them. We should do them in the dining room and save them carefully. The Babe just looked at me with her big, teary eyes. She got down off the island stool and just gave me a hug. She wanted to snuggle on the sofa then, so we went and sat quietly for a bit.

I'm still not sure what the whole problem was, but it's so frustrating! I don't know what I could have done differently, or why it was so upsetting... but there it is. And she still hasn't done the puzzles. I picked up the pieces from the island and put the boxes on the dining room table in case she changes her mind.