6/1/2010 The Demand

One very very rude little boy had a toy confiscated until he complied with the most basic of rules: when we get home, put your lunch away, hang up your knapsack, and go wash the first layer of muck from your hands before smearing your fingers all over the walls.

That rude little boy knew Mom was getting very fed up with the ongoing nasty responses and defiant comments ("if you take something away from me then I can take away things from YOU!" "I don't WANT to!" "arrgggh, can't you see I'm PLAYING?!").

So I locked myself in my room. Meanwhile, he wrote this note:

Dear mommy,
Give back the toys by midnight!!
And I mean now!!!
Love, Julian

He apparently taped it to my door, then thought better of it when he heard me growling at the activity, and moved the tape to the walls. Tape and smudgy dirty fingerprints on my still freshly-painted walls.

I love how he embellished the note with "I love you" and stars and hearts, then crossed them all out. A retracted habit, or an attempt at an extra bite?

We got past it, but the toy is still locked in my room.

6/1/2010