Drama

Man, am I ever in for it.

Violet and Jack both like to step on things.  Do other kids do this?  The floor could be completely clear except for one thing, like a piece of paper or a toy or whatever.  They will invariably walk up to that one thing and step on it.  On purpose.  Why do they do this???  It reminds me of my cats, who would always drape themselves over the one object that happened to be lying around, whether it be a jacket on the couch or a pillow on the bed.  But they are cats.  They probably are drawn to whatever it is because of the contrast in colors.

Anyway, I digress.

Today, we were just hanging out, and Violet put her foot on the roof of her little doll house and acted like she was about to step up on it.  She was watching my face for a reaction.

I very calmly said to her, "No, ma'am."

She's been doing this thing when I tell her no where she will put her chin down on her chest, stick her lower lip out, and then look up at me with big pitiful brown eyes.  It is the cutest thing, as I think she is well aware.  I have to try not to laugh at how calculated this reaction is.

She did it then, and I copied her little pout right back at her.  She stared at me for a second and then... her face just crumpled, her mouth opened wide, and she started bawling, "Waaahhh!"

Fat tears started rolling down her cheeks.  She ran to a bewildered Tom, who was playing nearby with Jack, and buried her face in his shoulder.  I was trying not to laugh, but she was sobbing, "Mommy! (sob sob) Mommy!" apparently too overcome with grief and indignation to properly articulate the grievous injustice done to her.

When the tempest passed after a few seconds, she came back to me, tears still glittering on her eyelashes.  I asked her, "What happened?  Why were you crying?"

Jack piped up, "She didn't like it when you told her, 'No, ma'am.'"

"That can't be it," I said.  "I tell her no all the time without her crying like this.  Maybe she didn't like it when I copied her face."

Violet whimpered pathetically, "I wanted to step on the house, and Mommy said, 'No, ma'am.' I didn't yike it."

Jack was right.

She kept sorrowfully repeating, "Mommy said, 'No, ma'am,'" as if she just couldn't believe that I would ever forbid her to do something she wanted, even if it would surely end up destroying a beloved toy.  The nerve of me.

The teenage years should be loads of fun.