Wendy-bird is sorry
“Thank you for keeping me.” That’s what she told Stu as he put her to bed tonight. “I’m sorry for biting I* and kicking E*. I’m sorry for screaming. I’m sorry for being bad. Thank you for saying you love me. And thank you for keeping me.”
Gulp.
When did we give her the idea we’d not be keeping her? That we’d give her away? We do occasionally we tell Teagan that we’re going to leave her at day care/the store/the car if she’s dawdling spectacularly. Usually it gets her hopping, but we always tell her that we wouldn’t leave her when she asks.
Never have we said we’d send her away. Where did that come from?
Needless to day, she was amazingly bad today. She bit someone, she kicked someone, she refused to put her coat on, screaming and rolling on the floor as I tried to corral Ashlin who wanted “walk, I do it, outside, walk!” It was a spectacular scene, I was sure she was going to hurt her throat from screaming so loud, so much. I ended up carrying her to the car, while holding her coat, Ashlin walked. She climbed in, screaming, I hooked her in. Strapped Ashlin in and left. Totally embarrassed
She screamed most of the way home, refusing to be quiet. I kept a calm voice, telling her that she’d be going right up to her room when we got home, until she could be quiet. It would be up her how long that would be. You could hear her halfway down the driveway.
Stu went up and reinforced what I had told her. After about five minutes I went to get her, to bring her down for dinner. She immediately apologized, gave me a hug, told me she was sorry. I told her that I still loved her, even though she was bad, and hugged her back. She was a much subdued little girl as she ate dinner, asked to snuggle on the sofa after.
Stu had a chat with her about choices, how she chose to act badly instead of listening to mama. All I was asking was for her to put her coat on and then she could have a headband. Such a silly, small thing, that became so big and caused so many tears.
I hope we have the happy, funny Teagan tomorrow.
This morning as the girls were eating breakfast, we saw a large family of deer in the back yard. Teagan and Ashlin were thrilled! There were at least five that I could see, and at least one in each girls line of view while they ate. They meandered back and forth, up and down the hill. They seemed generally calm and relaxed, for deer. I’m sure they were a bit nervous, I’m sure, especially when they heard the girls squeal if they came too close. They hung out there for a while, at least thirty minutes. Long after Stu had taken the girls to day care.
