Miss Brilee

she is an incredible little women. she is ready to take on the world. although she is so independently thinking that i find it a challenge to have some control. and at the same time so rewarding to hear the other mom's tell me how polite, kind, considerate, obedient, and wonderful to be around. tell me why she isn't like that with me. well, a get small sprinkles here and there. most of the time it is just whining and "no". yes, i spend all my time discipline these little people. so this week she got a hard punishment. and i've been impressed how she is handling "doing her time". last saturday we were trying to gather things together to go down town. i told brilee she couldn't go to her friend's house but to ride her scooter (best thing i bought her; the little razors. she loves it!) on our sidewalk only. i go outside to call her in and i can't find her! this isn't the first time. so off i go, again, looking for her. and deep in the back of my head i'm praying that someone hasn't taken her. so i start my rounds; she could be at one of four houses. there is a cluster of backyards together so all the kids stay pretty close. but she goes inside without telling me which one. that's been another rule she doesn't follow real well. and obviously our punishments haven't hurt enough to make her change. man, this parenting thing. too bad it is trail and error methods that work the best. well, as i start across the street with amdon in my arms brayland insists on going with me--on his tricycle. ugh. no amount of persuasion was going to keep him home. that was frustrating. i felt i was wasting so much time if something really did happen to her. i found her at my last stop, of course. brian and i laid into her. and we decided to take the privilege of playing with her friends away for three days. sunday and any outing with grandma didn't count. it had to hurt. that's been our new thing. we have to make it hurt. brilee was devestated. but as we were on our little walk together the other day her friend asked her from across the street if she could come and play. without any intervention from my part brilee maturely told her, "sorry i can't play i have two days left until i can play again." i was so impressed.

and the neighbor mom where brilee spends most of her time asked why she hasn't seen her lately. brilee responded with, "well, i'm grounded from my friends because i came to your house." i'm so glad brian was there to clarify.