Crime and Punishment

Okay, so not “crime,” but “disobedience” for sure.

Took CootieBoy to gymnastics this morning. He was very excited on the way over. I reminded him that he needed to listen to his teachers because it’s more fun that way. He agreed and said he wanted to have fun. Until it came time to take off his socks in the changing room. He did NOT want to take off his socks. I told him that he could not do gymnastics in socks because it was dangerous, to no avail. Finally, I bent down and took them off myself.

And there began a battle of wills that lasted 27 minutes. In that 27 minutes he 1) went into the gymnastics area and refused to participate, 2) asked to talk to Daddy, 3) asked to go home, 4) said he wanted to do gymnastics, 5) said he would hit me in the face and 6) didn’t want to put on his socks/shoes. Finally, I scooped him up, put his socks and shoes back on, and we left.

On the way home I told him he was NEVER doing gymnastics again (we’ll have CootieGirl finish out the sessions we’ve already paid for), and that he was absolutely NOT going to the movie we were planning on going to today. He began weeping, which I ignored as I continuted to lecture him on the way home about obeying me.

Upon arriving home I sent him up to his room and told him to stay there until I told him he could come out. At some point he was making a very big noise in there, so I opened his door – his room was clean, so I don’t know what he was doing. He had one book out on the floor. I asked him what he was doing, and he pointed at the book. So I closed the door, which made him begin crying again. I opened the door and he said “I wanna go to the movie!”

I sat him on his bed and patiently explained that since he disobeyed me and the gymnastics teacher, his punishment was that he could not go to the movie. “But I wanna go to the movie!” he cried again. I explained again that because he disobeyed he would not be going to the movie. “I wanna go with Daddy and CootieGirl!” he wailed. He was very upset, but I stuck to my guns and told him to continue to stay in his room.

He’s up there now, and Denis and CootieGirl left about 15 minutes ago for the movie. CootieBoy doesn’t know they’ve left yet, but in about 10 minutes I’ll bring him out and he’ll realize that I meant business.

And maybe next time he’ll realize I’m being serious when I tell him to obey “or else.”