Apparently, the following exchange took place at school yesterday:
Teacher: Children, you need to be quiet.
Princess: No, YOU need to be quiet!
My child.
Princess met me at school with her head hung down in shame. She wouldn't meet my eyes. When we got to the car and I managed to get her chin up, the corners of her mouth were turned down so low I thought they would meet underneath.
"It was an accident!" she wailed. "I didn't mean to be bad!"
"I'm not happy," I answered, Stern Mommy face in place. I knew I had to play the big card. "Wait until I tell Daddy about this."
"Aaaahhh," Princess wailed from the carseat. "I didn't mean to be bad! It was an accident!"
When we got home, Princess was sent to her room while Sven and I deliberated. We decided on the following punishment:
1. No cupcake. (My cousins sent me home with cupcakes last weekend, it's not like we constantly have cupcakes in the house to withdraw from the children for misbehavior.)
2. Removal of the DVD player from her room for the night. (Yes, she has a portable DVD player that she keeps in her room. I hear you, Mom.)
News of this punishment was greeted with the same level of distress that I imagine would result from a group of Lord of the Rings fans being told that Peter Jackson won't be directing the film version of "The Hobbit." Teeth were gnashed. Hair was pulled. Clothing was rent. She didn't have access to ashes or sackcloth, but you get the idea.
"Thank goodness we had the foresight to shower our children with a ridiculous amount of material objects, so we now have things to take away!" I said to Sven.
"I agree," he said.
Today, she was wonderful. A peach. She apologized to the teacher and played nicely all day. All is well.
Here's the problem:
Removing the DVD player caused her to sleep. Most of the night. She never does that. Now, I don't want to give the DVD player back.
I'll think of something...
9 comments:
Update: Of course she got the DVD player back. But she's still being a Very Good Girl.
Keep me posted on how the sleeping goes with the DVD player back. I'm debating taking mine out of my room as my own punishment for staying up too late:)
Very funny! So, just between friends, is the teacher a blabber-mouth?!? Maybe Princess is on to something. :)
NO CUPCAKE?!?!? That is just cruel and unusual punishment.
I forgot to add: she got the cupcake the next day, after she was good and had apologized.
I can just picture her little head hung in shame:(
Maybe she slept so well because she was worn out from all of the emotional distress. :)
I'm sure it won't take long until one of my girls pulls something like this at school. As long as it only happens once, I think I can live with it.
Oh, and our girls both have dvd players and tv's in their rooms. Oh, the shame!!!!
I'm glad she's not mine! Not because I think my kids would never pull something like this (they already have) but because I would have had lots of trouble not laughing at that one! So how many days since school started???
I have learned that the emotional trauma of being punished; just the fact of it, and waiting for it, can be worse than the actual punishment.
You've already given the DVD player back?
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