the temper

There's one aspect of Andrew's personality that isn't quite so charming: this boy has a temper.  Unlike Elizabeth, he has been known to throw a tantrum a two.  I wonder sometimes if it's because unlike Elizabeth, he has a older sibling who attempts to control him?  Whatever it is, it can be fierce.  He throws things and has been known to hit.  But also, the storm usually passes fairly quickly.

About two months ago, something happened at the end of dinner that set him off - we can't remember what it was, but he was mad.  For dessert we doled out 10 M&Ms to each child.  In his anger, though,  when I put down his M&Ms, he angrily swept them off the table onto the floor.  'Oh no', I said, 'that's too bad, no M&Ms for Andrew.  I will pick them up and put them at Daddy's chair and Daddy will get M&Ms.'  This, of course, only set him off further and his furious cries continued.

Until suddenly they stopped, mid-cry.  Andrew turned to us with a big smile on his face and said, 'I done crying now.  Can I have my M&M's?'

And yes, he got them.  Call us suckers - but how can you turn this down?