Least Favorite Child

I am participating in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge. Today’s letter is L.

“I’m your least favorite child.”

My 9 year old uttered these words to me out of frustration. She was mad because her younger brother wanted a ball, and we told her to give it to him. Didn’t seem to matter to her that he was mostly mad because she’d taken “Jupiter” out of his solar system made from the various balls we have in the garage. That was beside the point. She was more concerned that, in her eyes, he’d “won” again.

Instead of giving in and coddling her with a “Oh no! You are definitely not my least favorite child,” I told her that since she was apparently my least favorite child, she should

    Go sit down and not play

    Not talk to anyone else

    Not get to have any dessert

    Go on up to her room right after dinner instead of playing some more

She just stared at me with wide eyes. She’d attempted to pull me in to a moment where I told her she was my most favorite. I didn’t give in. This wasn’t the first time we’d had this type of conversation.

Before you go on and think I’m a horrible mom, know this: I sat down with her later when the drama-filled moment had passed. We talked about the fact that I do not have any favorite children. I love each of them with all of my heart, and my heart is basically bursting at the seams with how much I care about them.

Her response? “Everyone has a favorite.”

So, I looked her dead in the eyes and said, “You’re right. My favorite child is whoever is sleeping at the moment.”

At first, she scoffed. Both of her brothers were already asleep. Then, I reminded her that she often sleeps in past their too-early wake up.

This made her giggle, and all was right in our world again.

 

Tags: AtoZChallenge, parenting, sassypants