How L expresses disappointment

Part of the reason for this blog is to help me remember (and tell the world, oddly enough) the funny things my kids do. Today is devoted to my little drama queen, Miss Ellie Mae, as I often call her.

(Don't ask where the nickname came from. It's part her name, part a southern thang, and part too much Beverly Hillbillies as a child.)

ANYway...

L tends to get in trouble. A lot. She's simply curious, imaginative, energetic, and strong-willed and is having a hard time thinking before she acts. Of course, part of our job as parents is to teach her to *think*, then act, and then only act if it's a good choice.

Whenever L gets in trouble, she can generally figure out what she did and will admit it, but she hates the consequences/punishment phase. No surprise there. It's just that L's way of expressing her pain often makes me laugh.

She'll run in and hand me tiny notes with pictures of a sad-faced little stick figure and her name written in tipsy letters beside it. Sometimes she'll draw a smiling face next to it titled "Mom" because she thinks I like meting out punishment.

If she's feeling particularly beset with injustice after a punishment, L will retire to her room and you will soon hear a plaintive ballad expressing the deepest despair issuing from her dungeon. The lyrics are all about how mean Mom is, how unjust the punishment, how horrible everyone and everything is, oh, the humanity!!

Then in 5 minutes everything is sunshine and roses and she's forgotten all about it.

I love the fact that she never holds a grudge, but I do wish she'd hold onto the lesson!