tyrannosaurus daddy - E

These days, it's a struggle to get J to brush her teeth. What am I saying? It's always been the case.

Anyway, today I was helping her to get ready in the morning because she goes to daycare on Tuesdays. She went potty and changed her clothes, even though she wanted to stay in her jammies. Then I told her that it was time to brush her teeth, and she got upset and started throwing a tantrum. I had this conversation with her to try to figure out what was wrong:

E: "What's wrong, J? I don't know what's wrong if you don't tell me."
J: "Waaaaah!"
E: "Is it because you don't want to brush your teeth?"
J: "No."
E: "Is it because you don't want to go to Twinkle?"
J: "No."
E: "Is it because Daddy keeps telling you what to do?
J: "Yes."

So it seems that J doesn't like being told what to do, and from other situations, we've noticed that she doesn't like to be rushed (who does?). This is problematic, however, when there's a time constraint on getting out the door. But I'm realizing that my approach with her isn't the best, and that my actions can seem tyrannical to her. As an adult and her parent, I can overwhelm her with logic and strength, but finding another strategy, one that's more cooperative or empowering for her, seems like a good idea.