With increasing frequency these days, the little guy has been displaying some rather naughty behaviour. The thing is, he's so young and cute he can quite often get away with it. Specificially, he's been making an almighty MESS by upending things - bags of toys, boxes of cereal, and then refusing to help tidy it all up.
It all started to come to a head yesterday, I was starting to clear up the jar of marbles all over the shop when I left the room for a second and returned to find he'd upended chalk, crayons and felt tips, all strewn on top of the mess I'd been trying to clear.
Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggghhhh.
I lost the plot enough to shout, but whether fortunately or unfortunately William finds me about as scary as a wet fish. Lowering my voice, we had some serious words, culminating with a warning of something we have never felt the need to threaten before. The Naughty Step. I warned him and gave him til the count of 5 to start tidying, and he watched my Very Serious Counting with amused indifference.
Arrrrrrrrrghhhhhh.
Observing that I was cross, he attempted to leviate the situation by being a Very Scary Dinosaur, and when *that* didn't work he was the Dancing Owl.
Naughty step.
Amazingly, he stayed on the step, and apologised when I came to collect him. Ahhhh. Hugs all round, let's get this tidied up then.
No!
No?!
Warning. Countdown. Naughty step part 2.
And that's when we had some very lovely and unexpected vistors and our little war of attrition took a time out.
Until this morning, when the little, um, darling, when asked to put away his letters on the dining table, quite deliberately pushed them off and declared that Mummy can do it (pick them up).
It took 6 applications of the Naughty Corridor. Every time when Daddy came out to him he would say, cheerily "Hello! Are you very happy?" and the reply would come that, no, we were Very Sad for he would not tidy up, and are you ready to tidy up.
No.
Ok then, you'll be in the corridor for another two minutes.
And so it went on. On time 3 Richard was told to Go Away for there would be No Tidyup.
On time 5 he decided to change tack and declared that Yes, there would be Tidyup, only to demand Mummy do it once confronted with the mess. 1, 2, 3, 4... 5, naughty corridor.
THEN he tided up, and we made a massive happy fuss.
Maaaannn what a kerfuffle. At least I got to eat a very peaceful breakfast as William stood in the corridor....
We have just had a hour and a half long battle surrounding dressed.
ReplyDeleteIt's no fun, no fun at all.
This is so very familiar, both in plot and subject. I counted at Ethan the other day and he came out of hiding not to obey but to declare: "You no count one two five!" With the accompanying three fingers waggling in the air at me.
ReplyDeleteNoooooooooo I refuse to believe that, that little angel could ever turn into a monster! (not a parent - can you tell)
ReplyDeleteHehehe, Ethan cracks me up!
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed No Fun Mr Hughes. Apparently there was another Battle of TidyUp this morning while I was out, but this time won much more swiftly.
He's a cute monster MST, v cute... Too cute really!