To Grandma Diane's and Back....

This incident occurred just as I was getting sick and my patience was running thin..

As I've been telling many, we've had "candy" in our house since last Halloween, it just keeps accumulating through the holidays...Christmas, Valentine's Day and now Easter.

Alexa has gotten into the habit of having a small "treat" after her meal if she clears her plate. Well, the growth spurt is lasting a little longer than I thought, which means she is pretty used to getting her special "treat".

One night last week, she wasn't being the best listener and even though she ate all her dinner, I told her she couldn't have her special treat because of her poor behavior. She immediately started to throw the biggest temper tantrum a 4 year old could possibly throw. I tried so hard to stand my ground, but after fighting with her for several minutes and listening to her blood curdling scream and trying to put her in her room and close the door for a punishment, I finally exploded and said,

"OKAY FINE ALEXA - YOU CAN HAVE YOUR TREAT - BUT YOU LOOK ME IN THE EYE AND SAY YOU'RE SORRY FOR THE WAY YOU'RE ACTING AND THEN TELL ME HOW MUCH YOU LOVE ME".

She instantly stopped crying (I think I scared her) and looked me in the eye and said in her sweet little voice,

"I'm sorry Mommy and I love you all the way to Grandma Diane's and back".
I grabbed her and squeezed and held her tight for a good minute or two before letting her go and saying,

"Alexa, I'm letting you have a treat tonight, not because the way you were behaving, but because I love you more than anything in the whole world".

She hugged me again while we both cried.

Now, I may not be the best disciplinarian, BUT the kid sure knows how to pull at her mommy's heartstrings...because we all know that in her mind the ride to Grandma Diane's is "forever".

I gave her a small tootsie roll and all was well....