Magic Carpet Ride

These days Bella has been practicing to become a full-fledged terrible-two toddler. She's mastered the art of whining and is now pursuing a higher degree in temper tantrums. The other day she threw her first official tantrum when Jin and I refused to continue playing a game with her we call "Magic Carpet Ride".

The game consists of Jin and I holding each end of a green blanket (the magic carpet) while Bella rests comfortably in the middle as if on a hammock. Then we swing her back and forth, simultaneously moving about the house as she giggles in delight.

Actually, the game began as a one-person endeavor where Bella sat on top of the blanket while I (or Betty) pulled her across the floor (hence the name, Magic Carpet Ride). But you can imagine how tiring this would be pulling a 27-pound being across the friction of a carpeted floor. Not fun for Mommy. So, we altered the game a bit, added an extra adult and created the pendulum-like derivative of what we now know as the Magic Carpet Ride. The problem is, the game is exponentially more fun for Bella, but no less tiring for us adults. After 10 minutes or so of swinging, we decided to divert her attention and end the game.

Big mistake. Yes, we understand that the ride was quite "magical", but nothing quite prepared us for the temper tantrum that was brewing in Bella's mind as we put down the corners of the blanket.

Immediately, Bella motioned her sign for "more" (which she does by tapping her fists together), and tried to vocalize her needs. When her efforts were ignored, she desperately signed with bigger gestures, raising the inflection in her tone for emphasis. We continued to ignore her as Jin and I gasped for our own breaths. Soon she was whining loudly, her voice escalating with each ignored effort, "more! More! MORE!!!"

Jin and I stared at her in utter silence for this was truly unusual behavior for this child. Bella began waving her fists wildly, screaming, "more, more, more!", stomping her feet and bouncing her body with each cry. I continued to stare in amazment but Jin broke out into sheer laughter, pointing at her as her tirade continued. He laughed so hard, I think he fell to the ground. She must have figured that we were not going to respond, or perhaps Jin's laughter pissed her off more. She grabbed the side of the nearby crib and started violently shaking it. Her face turned bright red from anger as tears of frustration streamed down her face.

At this point, I'm more amused at watching Jin laugh 'till he pisses his pants. But being the good mommy, I decided that it was time to try to console Bella, who was now crying as if she just received a beating. Bella tired herself out and was soon calm again. When Jin finally recovered from laughter, we both wisked her away where she wouldn't be reminded of the magical green blanket. Poor girl. All she wanted was a Magic Carpet Ride.

Needless to say, the green blanket possesses mystic powers far beyond our comprehension. Parents beware.

The magical green blanket now lies folded in the laundry room where it's hypnotizing powers cannot entrance Bella:

Beware of the green blanket for it's magical powers are strong...