Friday, September 25, 2009

Hot Pursuit.....

Sometimes I think it is just a matter of time before I find myself wondering where I went wrong.... Wondering why I am seeing one of my sweet beautiful children on an episode of "COPS." It's not so much the lack of respect for my authority or the screaming they hate me when we have to leave the mall play area or even the brawls they get into with each other that worry me the most. It is their sense of adventure. The constant question in their mind that says, "I wonder what will happen if I do this?" You know like when the Wild Child cut up a whole mess of stuff in her brother's closet or the feathers, knee deep in a bedroom, when they opened a down pillow.

Today, it was the Little Jamaican who let that question get the best of her. All morning long, before kindergarten, I kept asking her to find her homework so we could turn it in today. She kept telling me it was lost and that she couldn't find it. Every time I reminded her, she was watching TV. (Dora has a way of sucking that child in.) Finally, I turn off the TV and tell her she has to find it. After a half-hearted attempt, and claiming it was no where to be found, I started looking for it myself. I found it a short time later. So this is why I was so surprised when we went to load up in the family mini-van to hear her exclaim, with a smirk on her face, "Look what I did, Mom." I looked to find she had drawn on the side of the van with what appears to be permanent marker. What concerned me most, was, after losing some privileges and a scolding, she still could not wipe that little smirky smile off her face.

So, all the marker did not come off, but more than I thought would did. So this has me wondering, "When I will be getting that call to come post bail?"

8 comments:

Nancy said...

It has been so long since we've had a post from you!! I love these posts because you always seem to handle those disasters with a sense of humor and perspective that makes me feel like the terrible things my kids do are Ok after all . . . even if I have to post bail.

Karen said...

I'm so sorry. Why are some kids just naturally more "curious" than others? You've got your hands full there.

Screwed Up Texan said...

Well, I was thinking that there was absolutely nothing my kids could do that would surprise me. Then you had to mention permanent marker on a car. Oh wow...I don't even know how I'd respond if I were you.

orangemily said...

Moira smiles through punishment when she's done something "adventurous" like that. It makes me crazy!

cat said...

I am so glad you are back girl! I've been missing you and checking in every now and again.

Ugh yes, testing us - that's what they do.Constantly!

Anonymous said...

I've so missed you!!! :) Glad to have you back.

Flea said...

I could laugh. Really, I could. We have a rule, though, for children who don't find what they're looking for, when it's easy to find: if I find it there after you've looked for it, I get to hit you with it. Works pretty well. With homework I suggest rolling it up, or giving paper cuts.

Flea said...

How old is this child? We recently had our youngest weed the entire back yard and garden (a two week long chore) as pay back for something he'd done which cost us money. I'll let you know, down the road, if it paid off. We held his iPod as collateral - would have sold it on EBay if he hadn't finished the weeding in the time frame alloted.