Clever Children

My kids are really good at trying to change the subject or get the "heat" off them when they do something they shouldn't. I thought these examples were too funny not to share.

Bradley is already well-practiced in his "honk mommy's nose" technique when I say something to him very sternly. He doesn't do that with Nick, though. But, if me or Nick is getting onto Bradley and talking sternly (or raising our voices) to him, he likes to look at us and say, "huh?" And, it's not just a simple, "huh?" It's a long, drawn out, "huuuuuh?" which is really quite funny and we have a really hard time not laughing when he does it. But, we try to cover our smiles and giggles so Bradley doesn't think he can "huh" his way out of every disciplinary situation.

Also, yesterday we were sitting on the couch and Bradley wanted to watch something on tv. I had put on Dora for him, because I thought that was what he wanted. Turns out, it wasn't the "right" Dora. I tried a different episode...again, I was wrong. So, I told him this was what we were watching. He got mad and hit my leg. (Of course, this was a light hit, but still, the intention was very clear.) I said, "do not hit!" He then gently tapped my leg...again, his intention was to hit and be mad. I said, "do not hit mommy or you are going to your room!" He started laughing as loudly and obnoxiously as he could. I ignored him and he got right in my face and kept laughing. So, I stood up, plopped his butt on the couch as forcefully and impressionably as I could and walked out of the room. Then, Bradley started crying. He thought it was great as long as I stood there and took whatever he was dishing out, but when I left, it hurt his feelings. Go figure! So, I let him cry for a couple of minutes and then walked back in the den and he said, "ma?" He kept looking at me and wanting to make eye contact with me to see if everything was okay or not. I looked at him and smiled and he sat with me, very nicely and we watched Dora. Little stinker!


AND...
Also, last night Rachel decided that she didn't want to use her bedrails on her bed anymore. We told her that was fine if she wanted to try sleeping without them. So, I read her a story and then left her room. About 5 minutes later, she came out of her room and said one of her dolls fell off the bed. So, Nick took her back to bed and suggested that we put up one of her bed rails. She said, she wanted them down. We told her to stay in the middle of her bed. About 10 minutes later, she comes out again and says she "can NOT sleep". I said, maybe we should put the rails back up and try again another night. I said, "maybe it's just too different for tonight." She said that she wanted them down. Nick told her that if she got up again, he was going to put up both her bedrails, then he took her back to bed again and she let him put up One of her bedrails. He was about to leave and said, "are you sure you don't want both bedrails back up?" She said, in a tearful voice, "I think I want them both back up." So, Nick put them both back up and left her again. About 5 minutes later, she came back out again. This time she said, "I was wondering what would happen if I came out now that my bedrails are back up?" Little smartie had figured out that she had already gotten the "consequence" of coming back out since her rails were both up. Nick told her, "you don't want to know...now GO TO BED and don't get up again." She didn't get up again. I thought the whole process was funny, but I also didn't get up at all...it was Nick who took her back to bed every time! What a great husband and patient daddy!