Tough Love

"I WANT JUICE BOX!"

"I WANT DEENER!"

"I WANT WATER!"

"I WANT LIGHTNING MCQUEEEEN!"

"I WANT PLAY!"

"I WANT OUT OF HERE!"

To which Tom and I say, "WE WANT OUR SANITY!"

Connor has been crying about almost everything today, even as he is recovered of fever and the eye goop. Included in his repertoire today was spitting at Ian, while I was on a business call.

"Yes, so the venue we are looking at for the chorale is...." Enter Ian, tiptoeing and stage-whispering.

"Mommy?" I shoo him away.

"Mommy? Connor is spitting." Enter Connor, actually spitting. I feel my eyeballs split open.

"Excuse me, could you hold for just a moment?" Mute the phone.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? " Move kids to separate corners. "THERE IS NO SPITTING AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, NO TALKING UNTIL I COME BACK AND SAY SO. NOT A WORD!"

"Yes, hello? Yes, I'm back. So, as I was saying...."

Then, after a fiasco with the pharmacy and Ian's prescription for pink eye-because you knew he was going to get it too-Thomas brought pizza home for us. Economy be damned, we are having pizza Fridays.

Connor refuses to join us at the table, choosing instead to throw some fit about playing in the spaceship that Ian made out of couch cushions. (It was cool.) Tom offers him two opportunities to come to dinner, which are denied. Tom sends him to bed.

"WAAAITT, I WANT PIZZA!"

Connor is invited back. He sits in his chair and I had made the mistake of having a juice box out for him. He grabs for the juice box, but I realize he will drink the juice box and eat nothing. So, we take the juice and have him eat a bit. He then gets the juice box and starts messing around again.

"Eat your dinner."

"No dinner. I want juice box."

"Eat or go to bed."

"No dinner."

Tom puts him back to bed. This happens a second time. Finally, Tom puts him to bed for good. Pajamas, brushed teeth and right into bed.

For an hour now, he has been knocking on his door, screaming, "I WANT DRINK! I WANT DRINK!"

Yeah, buddy. Me too.

So, my mother-in-law has told me that going to bed without dinner is completely fine. They will survive and learn for the next time. We did the tough love bit with Ian too and his cooperation improved dramatically. It's such a fine line with Connor, but neither of us are in the mood for his drama. Tom handled Connor swiftly and I applaud his resolve.

Ian, on the other hand, has completed 37 pages of hidden picture activities and assisted in loading Tom's percussion equipment, so he is enjoying some Daddy/Ian time.

Tomorrow is the Tempe Beach Salsa Challenge! Yum!