Sometimes you gotta stick to your guns

For some reason the Triplets seem to have caught a bad case of the whine flu.  As becoming four is just around the corner they are testing their limits again.  Since I am "the heavy" in the family that means it is time to draw a line in the sand.

Early on in my career as a SAHD the CFO asked that I not use ramifications (punishment) that also punishes her.  So I try to confine the "if you do or do not do this then we will or will not do that" to my time with them.  Since Miss Kelly came to visit on Friday the Triplets have been on a tear.  Yesterday, I drew the line.

It started early with some "demands" rather than "requests" from the Triplets:

• Get my milk
• No, you get it
• NO!

You get the idea.  Then it ramped up to repeated time outs for hitting.  William was the TOD.  I warned him that one more bad choice and he lost it.  So I then got to be the TOD for a while after he hit Jackson, again.  But just like God does me, I forgave them.  We headed out for the day.  I told them the plan:

• Go to the CFO's work to take her thermos of coffee to her.
• Toys R Us to look at bicycles.
• Kohls to try on clothes.
• The Department of Motor Vehicles (yes, I am crazy) to renew our tags
• Grandma Jack's Pool

The only stipulation was that they had to make good choices.  I know, that's one big stipulation.  Kind of like the asterisk * on the add that tells you only the stuff that no one wants is on sale. Or the warranty* only covers the stuff that NEVER breaks.  The CFO went with us to Toys R Us and we had a great time.  Unfortunately Addison and Jackson fell asleep before we got to Kohls.  When we arrived in the Kohls parking lot Addison belted out a command for me to carry her and I said "I would have if you asked nicely but you didn't so I am not going to carry you."  She cried all the way to the store.  Once in the store she ramped it up when I told her we were all going potty.  So I upped the ante... I told her we were going to leave the store if she didn't stop.  She didn't so I told her we were headed home.  Her head popped off!  We essentially walked in one door only to walk out the other door.  I could hear people laughing as I walked back out the other door with the three of them following me, Addison a sobbing mess in the back.  We stopped in the breezeway for me to give her another chance to pull it together.  She almost had it when William hit the handicap door button, which I had told him not to touch.  My next words "that's it, we are headed home, no pool today."  Everyone fell apart.  We walked back to the car with me smiling and them bawling.  Sometimes it sucks being my kid:)

Keep in mind that I was smiling not because I was happy but rather a kind of... well... the CFO would call it an "evil grin."  I had gone through the trouble of packing lunch (we did eat it at home) in the cooler and getting all of our pool stuff ready.  I was also looking forward to swimming with them.  But I do not get to choose when lessons will need to be learned.  Yesterday, school was in session:)

Addison WAILED all the way home.  We got home and it took her thirty minutes to get her sanity back.  But by nap time she was back to normal.  I could see it in her eyes, she just wanted to push me to see if I would break.  What is this...  hell week at the Fraternity house all over again? :)

genuwhine 
\jen-yu-wine\ noun:
Sounds of distress made by a child for a legitimate cause (e.g. fever) as opposed to a petty annoyance (i.e., misplaced Nintendo DS). Rare.
Parenting Magazine

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