Adding some much needed sweetness
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and Spice and everything nice,
THAT’S what little girls are made of.
So, I’ve alluded to Ellie’s recent change of , er, personality. Somewhere, somehow she has lost all of her sugar and has been nothing but spice as of late. Her favorite things are her “NONONONO!” and a harpy-like shriek. She is ruling our house with an iron – albeit sticky – fist.
Jac and I can’t recall if any of the others liked the word “No” as much as she does and we are quite convinced it is because she hears it from 5 people instead of just 2 like the other kids did. In order to keep her from becoming a complete tyrant, we set up an intensified discipline plan and brought in the kids to help.
Step One: Try not to use “no” with her. Substitute “uh-oh” instead.
Step Two: Do not give in when she grabs and screams. Refer to step one if needed.
They were enthusiastic and took to it immediately.
Then, then, not 5 minutes after our new plan went into effect, Ellie began to rage against some injustice. The kids stayed calm and amused while we all watched her dial it up.
She made sure we were all aware of her obvious displeasure and then turned to smack her head on the pew. When she realized a blanket had protected her impact, she glanced over her shoulder, slid down a step and repeated the process so she could connect skull to wood.
None of us held it together and joined her in howling, but with laughter. This was jarring and unexpected and turned her shrieking to giggles. It dawned on us then that maybe we need to add just a little more sugar to our plan, too.
Here’s to hoping she finds balance again soon!
