Thursday, May 10, 7:11 p.m.

I googled "bi-polar disorder in four year old" today.

I was convinced that my Ruler of the Universe (ROTU) Daughter's daily hysterical fits MUST be a diagnosable mental illness.  There is NO WAY this is normal.  I feel like I'm living with one of those crazy alcoholic women in an Oprah Book Club selection.
The rages come out of no where.  She can go from a smart, sweet, highly intelligent, pre-schooler one minute, to a crazed lunatic, screaming like a pterodactyl in a sixties horror film in the next.
She hits.  She kicks.  She bites, spits, and scratches.  No one is safe in her presence during The Rage.  Yesterday, my Diva Daughter (DD) and the neighbor child had to lock themselves into the TV room just to remain unharmed.
Then, slowly but surely, she settled back into her rational, bright, kind self.
It has to be a mental illness, right? 
But, as luck would have it, I stumbled across a reassuring article (on BabyCenter.com, no less) with a description of the typical four year old temper tantrum.  The explanation fit her like a glove: Rages out of no where, crazy behavior, comes and goes like a monsoon.  I breathed a sigh of relief. 

Last night my sweet ROTU was lying in bed next to me.  Twilight was falling fast.  She whispers:  "Mommy?"  "Yes, honey."  "When it starts to be night time, I get scared."
It was an "Ah ha" moment.  ROTU has never shared a deep secret with me before. 
I explain how, when she gets scared, she should think about nice things.  "Like a puppy licking me?"  She asks.  "Yes" I say.  "And unicorns.  And rainbows."

The next morning ROTU informs me that she thought about Nice Things.  She's been an angel ever since. 

Oh, I left one part out.  While ROTU was listing Nice Things, my DD, in her witty charming way, interjected her own:  Monsters spitting, dark storm clouds with lightning, wolves and coyotes.  "Honey..." I warn.  "MOM, I'm just kidding!" 
Next time, I'm unlocking that TV room door.