Killing them with kindness....

We've all heard the saying before, but it really is true. I've been refinshing our kitchen table this week, which means time in the garage (and little people following me in there!). It also means that the cans of paint that Daddy left out, opened I should add (to dry them out so the dump will accept them) were available for the little people who follow me around all day.

So when I heard my oldest start crying and saying "you're gonna be mad at me", I really wasn't that surprised. I mean, come on, 10 gallons of piant and three children? Can anyone really expect anything less? When she finally coughed it up, apparently she had gotten paint on the Cinderella dress up clothes that Megan had been wearing.

Now I don't claim to be a perfect mother. Heck, I don't claim to be mediocre, and I will admit that my normal response to things like this would be (said in wicked-witch style of course) "Why would you be playing in paint? You know better than that. Go outside!" Yes, I would have said that even though I was letting them in the garage with the paint in the first place. But I didn't say it this time. I was good, people, I was very, very good! I looked at her and simply said in a nice, calm voice, "Oh, I guess you'll be earning money to buy a new dress for Megan then won't you?" and I went back to work on my table. When she continued to cry, I put my arm around her and told her, "It's only a dress, Emilee. It's ok. You'll just have to work it off and make it up to Megan."

I can't tell you how proud I was of myself. Emilee, on the other hand, continued to sob and cry. She didn't seem to be appreciating my soft, kind approach. In fact, when I came out of the garage 20 minutes later I heard her inside the house still sobbing. Now if I had screamed, she would have cried...and gotten over it. Something about the whole "under" reaction thing really threw her for a loop and she was either scared that a) aliens had abducted her mother and replaced her with someone else or b) I was disappointed, which we all know is the worse possible punishment a parent can really bestow upon their offspring.

You really can kill them with kindness.