Thursday, January 15, 2009

Name-Calling

Today I was going through some old emails, and found this little story about Elizabeth that I had emailed to my family back in November:


"Lizza did something funny a few nights ago that I wanted to write down. We were getting ready for bed and she came running to find me so she could tell on Tristan (she loves reporting on the older kids): "Mom, Tristan called me a freak!"

She knew he was going to get in trouble because I had already "counted" him twice for that same problem earlier, so she proudly followed me with a smug grin on her face as I went to find Tristan and tell him to take a time-out. Tristan went without complaint into the little time-out area, but Lizza was not ready to be done with the matter. She slammed the door behind him, and then started doing a little taunting dance, bouncing up and down with her face up against the door, singing, "Nah-nah-nah, you have to go in a time-out", which I probably would have just ignored, but then she finished with a big "bye-bye, ya' little freak!"

Right as she yelled "freak" at him, she turned around, still dancing and bobbing around with a "take-that" and "in-your-face" kind of look, and then she saw me standing there and stopped cold. The look on her face was so funny because she immediately recognized her mistake and realized she was going to get busted.

I started to say, "Oh, no - now it looks like you'll have to go take a time out", but she was already sending herself to the laundry room (an additional time-out area) without a fuss. I could tell she was disappointed and embarrassed for letting that last little "freak" slip out there at the end - she had just gotten so caught up in the moment of her victory dance. I was trying hard to keep the smile off my face, but kept laughing out loud whenever I pictured her doing it, because she seriously looked so funny.

I think it's my fault that my kids are even calling each other "freak" - a few weeks ago Lizza started doing these really weird tantrum things. Whenever she'd ask me to do something for her and I said I couldn't, she'd go all crazy and throw herself to the ground and start yelling, "I can't, I can't, I can't!" all the while pretending she couldn't do whatever the thing was (she'd do little half-attempts, and purposely not do it right, and then say, "see? I can't!"). Anyway, it was so ridiculous that sometimes I would just look at her and say, "Elizabeth. Why are you doing this? You are acting like a freak." For some reason, this was very amusing to the other kids, and then they thought THEY could call people freaks, and that's how it all started. So I guess I have to be mature now and not call my children names."




Thankfully in the few months since I wrote that, both the weird tantrums and the name-calling have stopped. Elizabeth continues to entertain us daily, though.




5 comments:

Eliza said...

that's still one of the funnier stories i've heard (read). bye bye ya little freak!

Beccarigg said...

"bye bye ya little freak!" That is the funniest thing I've ever heard come out of a two year old's mouth! It's even funnier when I imagine it with her scratchy little voice! The best is that she put HERSELF in time out! I would probably think I'd died and gone to heaven if Teya ever did that! You have such funny kids!

Laura said...

do not ever tell my children this story! it's just such a tempting phrase to use. i tried it out myself just now to see how it felt to say it (i'm all alone, so it wasn't directed at anyone, and it still felt good to say!). very dangerous.

Gretchen said...

That is so awesome. I can't believe our babies are so devious. (I still think of Beck as my baby but that will probably change in a few weeks) He shocked me the other day when Addy was telling me something he did and he knew he was going to get in trouble so he immediately responded with "Addy you spilled fingernail polish all over and mommy and daddy are so so mad. Mom tell Addy you are so so mad at her! (The nail polish was an incident that was long gone)

Unknown said...

So, so funny!