Today, Annie "wrote" on my new kitchen table with a plastic doll. It's less like "wrote" and more like "etched." I didn't even start out nice, I was so mad. I threw away a craft project she was working on, spanked her little bottom and sent her to time-out.
While she was in time-out, she kept yelling through her tears "But, I love you, Mommy!!!" I went into another room so I didn't strangle her. After both of us calmed down a bit, we had a talk. I told her that I loved her very, very much and that she was worth more to me than a table. I also told her that what she did was wrong, wrong, wrong and bad, bad, bad. She was not allowed to wreck my table, even if she thought it was fun. She asked if she could have her craft project back and I told her that it was in the garbage and it wasn't coming out. That was her way of paying me back for the table.
She begged me for her craft project, I told her that she needed to fix my table if she was going to get her craft project back. While she was crying, she told me how we could fix the table. She said "We just need some new wood, then it will be all better." I told her that we can't get new wood and that she just needs to live with the consequences.
I don't always think I'm a good mother. A good mother would have been calm throughout all of this. She would have laughed it off and remembered that it was just a table. She would have disciplined in a loving way instead of creating a little girl full of fear that her mother will explode. I was not a good mother today.
I guess both of us still have a lot to learn about doing something wrong.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
5 comments:
Whenever I have moments (or days...weeks) like that, I remember that Heavenly Father was so disappointed in his children at times that he did things like flood the whole earth and even put his children in "time out" in the desert for 40 years. He is perfect after all, so consequences are a good thing. You are a good mother--passions are what make us godly, and you really handled it so well.
You are not a bad mommy. Trust me! I would have beat the tar out my kid for doing that. On the bright side, we can totally fix that if/when we paint your furniture! We'll just fill in the low spots with a little wood filler, sand and paint! See, now John will totally be on board with painting the new furniture. Annie just helped you, really!
Here's the thing, I recently returned from a house that was full of kids who really didn't respect their "stuff" and it was such a disaster as far as keeping things nice. Sometimes we have to teach our kids that our house needs to stay a haven. Trust me, Noelle had to scrub the green highlighter off the walls.
I know how you feel, I had just barely boughten new doors to my book shelves when I came home from work to find crayon covering both doors! I almost had a heart-attack! Luckily Chris was there to calm me down, cause he knew I would have over-reacted on the kids. Just think of the "etching" on the table as a memory, you'll never forget it, and there will be many more to come thru the years. :o)
Not a bad mommy. I think you did great! Hopefully she won't ever carve any furniture anymore. Lesson learned.
Post a Comment