For those of you who are not familiar with my family, I want to catch you up a little bit before I begin my story. My husband and I have been married for 11 years and have 3 little girls. Our oldest looks like me but acts like him: extremely level headed and, for the most part, calm. We also have a 10 month old and it is yet to be determined who she looks like or acts like...only time will tell. And then there is our middle child, my diva. She looks just like her daddy but acts just like me: full of energy, dramatic, and loud.
You can read about her multitude drama in my previous blog posts: Spanking Really Does Hurt Me More Than It Hurts You, The Clothing Wars, It's Never Okay to Hit...Or Is It, and At Our Wits End. They are quite entertaining!
But no matter how dramatic she is and how many fits she has thrown, I have never considered her disrespectful. That is until lately. Lately, she has developed the bad habit of "sucking her teeth" or as some people call it "tsking" when we say something she doesn't like. You know what I am talking about! That little action that is just as bad as rolling your eyes and makes even sane parents almost come unglued with a backhand. Luckily, we are all able to control ourselves ...but still.
The first time this occurred there was a lengthy discussion about how rude and disrespectful the action was and how we expect better of her. The second time she was sent to time out. The third time, which occurred this afternoon, resulted in her having to repeat the action 25 times. The fourth time happened while we were sitting at the table enjoying Disgusting Yumminess (my latest Pinterest recipe).
She had been talked to, warned, and punished all to no avail. Now came the time for a (GASP) spanking! Don't judge us! We only use them when there is danger or someone has done something really wrong. Anyway...
My husband informed her that he would be spanking her after dinner, and we continued our meal. She of course started crying (I told you she was dramatic) and was told that if she did not "suck it up" she would get an even bigger spanking. After finishing her dinner, she sat there waiting for the rest of us to finish. Suddenly she raised her hand (I think it is so funny when they forget this isn't school) and said, "Daddy can I go ahead and get my spanking over with?"
So with a giggle in his eyes, he proceed to explain to her what she did and why it was wrong. After he spanked her, she stood up and tried her hardest not to cry and to "suck it up". My oldest and I couldn't help it and started giggling which helped break the ice and helped her not to cry. Then, in true Diva fashion, with a whirl of her Dora night gown, she turned around looked at her daddy, saluted him, and shouted, "Aye! Aye! Captain!"
Lord help us with what is yet to come!
