Friday the 13th

I am not superstitious and do not usually give Friday the 13th a second thought.

But today it came swooping in and made a landing in our house.

Three year old style.

It began this morning when he asked me if he could have money in his wallet like his brother. I told him his brother earns his money by doing some extra jobs to help out. He thought that sounded like a good idea.

An hour later it was time to fold laundry, a perfect "extra job". I gave him a little pile of socks to match. Exactly 5 pairs. 10 socks. Each pair different enough to not be confusing. No extras. This was not difficult.

My 3 yo seemed to have forgotten this battle of the wills that he and I had some time ago. One year and nine months ago, to be exact, so I have to cut him a little slack.

You would have thought I asked him to mop every floor in the house. It quickly went from an extra job to mommy-asked-you-to-do-this-so-get-busy-now moment. Forty-five minutes of sobbing, screaming, forced crying, and whining ensued. Over socks! No playing, no snack, no drink, no moving from that area until the socks are matched. Period.



At about exactly minute 47, he stopped and cheerfully said, "Oh, I think I can do this." And he did.

Five minutes later he spilled his entire drink all over the kitchen floor. I took off his soaking-wet pajamas (yes, he was still in his pajamas). He went to his room to get some new clothes.

Two minutes later I hear this, "Mom!! I peed in here!" I was so hoping "in here" was the bathroom.

Nope. I finished the kitchen floor, grabbed the carpet cleaner, and armed myself for some pee clean-up.

A few short hours later I hear this, "Mom! I pooped!" I responded brilliantly, "In the toilet, right?"

Nope. On the floor. While standing up to pee.

An hour later we headed out for Taco Bell and a grocery run. While at Wal-Mart, he had three, yes THREE tantrums, about us not buying what he wanted. Once ended in a trip to the bathroom, another ended in a trip to the car. The poor child just could not understand why we would not let him go into Dillons after that.

Technically, it could have been worse. I would have bet anyone $100.00 that he was going to top off the day by throwing up at Taco Bell. Thank the Lord I was wrong.