Trouble

Hoo-boy, did Lin get in trouble last night!

Lin has an incredibly annoying habit of "pretending" to be asleep or pretending to not hear us when it's time to do something. This happens most often in the car. She will pretend to be asleep in the back seat when it's time to get out of the car, forcing Dave and/or I to stand outside the car with her door open, saying over and over "come on Lin. Come on, Lin." This is the kind of thing that's cute about... once. After that, I'm done. I've told her a number of times to stop doing this. And last night I decided to teach her a lesson.

I had taken the girls to get their hair cut (Ruby got about 4 inches cut off -- super cute!). As we were walking out Lin stopped in the doorway. Just stopped. I held the door. I said "come on, Lin." She didn't budge. I told her that I wasn't going to stand outside in the cold rain and wait for her and I walked to the car. Every few steps I looked back at the door and motioned for her to follow me. She just stood there. So after I buckled Ruby into the car I looked back toward the door, just in time to see Lin slip around the corner of the building. With thoughts of "Why, you little *#@!" I got in the car and drove to that side of the building. No Lin. I proceeded to have a minor heart attack, until she came out from between two cars.

Well, when she got into the car I pretty much let her have it. I told her to not ever do that to me again. It's not funny and I'm sick of it! I certainly wasn't screaming at her, but my voice was raised to a level that I don't think Lin has heard me use before. As we drove home I knew she was crying a bit. Of course I don't want to see my child cry, but I knew that I had to get through to her, and this was the way to do it. I didn't say anything to comfort her. She needed to feel bad for what she'd done.

We got home and I told Dave what had happened. He told her the same things I did (although in a nicer tone of voice), that it's not funny and that she needs to stop doing this. I told her how terrified I had been when I couldn't see where she was. She tried to come back by saying that no one had asked her how she felt. She was scared, too. She thought that I was leaving her. Wellllll....... good. Now she knows there's a consequence to her actions and hopefully she won't pull that crap again.

She did apologize to me later and it seemed genuine, so I think maybe, just maybe, she got the message.