I'm Not Your Mom Anymore

Miss Priss has had quite the attitute lately. Lately? What the heck am I talking about? That girl was BORN with an attitude. Not sure exactly where she learned it, but she's recently pulled out the "I'm not your sister, then!" to Devil Child whenever she gets upset with her. I hear "I'm not your sister anymore" and "I'm not your friend anymore" ALL THE TIME. Each time we have a little discussion on how that's not being very kind, and how it hurts people's feeling to say such things. Obviously it hasn't worked so far.

The other night she was upset with me for, oh, I don't know, maybe it was because I'm the meanest mom in the entire world because I asked her to pick up her dirty clothes and get them in the laundry. Or no, maybe it's because I'm the meanest mom in the whole world because I make her brush her teeth before she goes to bed. Wait a minute. I know. It's because I'm the meanest mom in the whole world because she doesn't get dessert if she doesn't eat her dinner. That's it. Anyway, she starts up with the crying first, then the dirty looks, then the snide comments of, "That's rude, mom!" So, being the meanest mom in the world, I tell her she may not speak to me like that, and she can go up to her room until she's ready to stop crying, change her attitude, and say nice things to me. As she's running up the stairs, now hysterically crying, she yells, "FINE!!! I'm not your mom anymore!"

Do I laugh? Do I cry? No, I say, "Good. I don't need another mom." But of course I know what she means, and it does hurt me a little. My little baby girl, a child I would give all my life and more for, is so upset with me in that moment that she says she doesn't want me to be her mom. Ouch. But I'm over it because a little while later she's back downstairs, wiping away tears and ready to apologize. We have another little discussion about kindness, and how important our friends and family members are to us. All is well in Zion. I'm hoping this time she really does understand.

A few nights later The Man comes home from work, and utter chaos breaks loose in the house. I don't know why he keeps coming home. The excitement of "DADDY'S HOME!!!" lasts a whole five mintues around here. Then it turns straight into the whining about wanting to play outside, or not wanting what I made for dinner, the spilling of drinks that happens at EVERY meal, crying that they can't watch a movie, and more whining about getting ready for bed and actually having to go to bed. So after a nice bout of crying for who knows what, The Man is fed up and decides to take action. He turns to Miss Priss and tells her, "If you don't obey and get up there to get ready for bed, you'll get a spanking, and then you'll STILL have to get ready for bed, even if you don't want to!"

She turns to run upstairs, and shouts on her way up, "I'm not your dad anymore!" It's sad, but at the same time a little humorous, that she still hasn't got it through her head that that's mean, and that she's got it totally backwards.