Every night for the past few weeks Cael has been more or less misbehaving just as I get home from work.  Whether it’s a fight with his brother, disobeying Nikki and I, or just plain having a meltdown about nothing at all, it’s been a frustrating new pattern for him.  It’s obviously related to being hungry (nevermind that children guard that feeling like a state secret for some reason, heaven forbid they tell you they are hungry, no, they would rather just flip out on you for no apparent reason than mention they are hungry, or when’s supper?)  We have finally resorted to just feeding him a snack moments before dinner appears on the table despite that being listed in the Vallentyne Parental Handbook as a WORST CASE SCENARIO, horror upon horrors, he might not eat his supper!!!!  It’s just better that way, he then has the blood sugar to tolerate his brother, or anything else those 25 minutes might throw at him (careful, don’t spill your milk… it might ramp up into a HurriCael).

Anyway, last night just as I was home and coming through the door, he and Quinn had a slight altercation, which Quinn immediately apologized for.  Too little, too late.  Just as he was getting ready to unleash a real foot-stomper, I held up my hand and said “Hey! That’s not ok here.  You can’t act that way among the rest of us.  If you are going to do that you have to go somewhere else.”

He stopped in mid-whine as he sat on the floor (the better to stomp both feet) and looked at me with eyes full of as-yet unshed tears and said in a perfectly calm voice “What are my options?”

I had to turn around and answer him facing the other way so he wouldn’t see me biting back laughter “If you are going to have a fit, you can go to your room.  Or you can stop and stay down here, it’s up to you.”  He chose to stop, and I fed him exactly 5 Wheat Thins, and then we had supper and a wonderful time in the park before bed.

That’s why I have grey hair.