Sometimes, discipline hurts Mom more

Every Wednesday, we go to the local library for story time.  I don't have extra kids that day, so it's something that Scrat and I get to do without her having to share Mom's attention with her sisters or the daycare kids.  She loves listening to the books and dancing with her friends, then getting to play in the kids area before picking out a couple books to take home.  And I look forward to it because it gets me out of the house and also allows me to visit with some of my girlfriends who also bring their kids to story time.  It's win-win.

This past Wednesday, no one won anything.  Scrat was having a decent morning until we decided it was time to get dressed.  She was already wearing a green leopard print skirt, an orange Halloween Kitty shirt and a Christmas sweater--which we'd agreed she could wear until it was time to leave.  Then she had to put on pants because it was cold out.  That's when it started, when it was time to put on her pants.  First, she complained the pants were too long.  Then she didn't think the shirt matched or was pretty on her.  What followed was a half-naked child pounding on my arm, sobbing, yelling, "I want to go to STORY TIME!" 

Needless to say, we didn't go to story time.  I had told Scrat that if she continued to hit and yell at Mommy, we weren't going.  She did, so we didn't.  Let me tell you, it was so hard to stick to my word.  I wanted to go to story time just as badly as she did...and she didn't even know that we were invited to a friend's house afterwards for lunch and a sledding party.  See?  So badly wanted to just give in and take her to story time for my own adult mind as much as hers.  But I didn't.  I couldn't.  I knew that I had to stick to my guns and follow through with what I said--"If you continue this behavior, we will not go to story time." 

Thankfully, Scrat doesn't do this often.  She's very active and funny and a little crazy, but she seldom has temper tantrums and never has she had one to this level.  And I know that she was overly tired because we were out later than normal the night before.  But still.  I had to stick to my guns.  I couldn't give in and just act like nothing happened...or give empty threats...no matter how badly I wanted to.