Conundrum

I discovered a parenting crack this morning. I was standing at the sink washing bottles, and Jack crawled into the kitchen. He climbed up my legs and pestered me with whines to pick him up. I told him that I was busy and he would have to wait. Hey, if he wants to eat, then I need to make bottles. The whines turned to cries and the clutching hands turned into clenched fists resulting in involuntary full hand pinches on my legs.

After I was done doing what I needed to do, I picked him up- not because he was still screaming (which he was) but because I was ready to and we had to leave. That is when it hit me- I picked him up because we had to leave but he probably thinks I picked him up because his crying finally got my attention. How does he learn to chill out when he wants something if he thinks that if he cries long enough he will finally get his way...even though he is not really getting his way, I am just ready to do move on to that task.