the apple doesn't fall far from the tree

our eldest, devin, has a big personality. she likes to test limits...stand right up to the boundary line and see what she can do. i have also had everyone from teachers to friends and even the grandparents comment on how determined she is....now being a teacher i KNOW determined is code for stubborn and man is she stubborn...when mules talk to each other about other mules, they can often be heard saying " yeah, my little mule billy is as stubborn as a devin" i swear it is true. she also has inherited her father's case of selective hearing-a trait that frustrates me more than almost anything in life....ok i hate hard butter a little bit more but you get my point.

case in point yesterday. within 15 mins of devin being outta bed, she had ignored me 6 times (yes i counted) and did the complete opposite to what was asked twice. i am a patient person but even i have my limit and it was met yesterday. i let the course of the day ride out and finally at bedtime...i had enough.

rob was out at baseball (man did i curse his name as the night went on) and i was putting the girls to bed. it was one of those nights that we jinxed earlier by saying, "they both seem tired, they'll go down no problem"..ha rookie mistake...but sadly i ain't no rookie in this game and shoulda seen the change up coming. so, i asked devin to brush her teeth while i attempted to clean deirann's...i would be safer tackling an alligators...and finally gave up ...throwing the toothbrush into the laundry basket in hopes to release some of my frustration (keep this point in mind throughout this tale). i gave her a few last cuddles and plopped her in her crib. i then went to devin's room to see how far she had come on the tootypegs knowing damn well there was no way she brushing them.

"devin have you brushed your teeth?"
she was in her room with her legs sticking out from under her bed no doubt searching for some lost treasure.
"look mama i found my magic wand!"
"great devin! maybe it can change you into a princess who realizes that she must brush her teeth in hopes to protect herself from the evil dragon!" i dug into the bottom of the day's creativity basket to pull that one.
"i also found my missing shoe..." ah...i see she was suffering from a severe case of hearing selectiveness at this point.
"hey devin, let's see who can brush their teeth first...me or you!"
with that, the ever-competitive devin zipped out from beneath the bed (with a shoe on her hand and magic wand between her teeth) racing to the bathroom.

"hmmm...that wasn't so bad" i thought to myself. i spent a few minutes sorting things in my room when i heard her at the door.
"are they all brushed princess devin? can we head to your room to read a book?"
instead of acknowledging i was speaking to her, devin had lost the wand and shoe and was now carrying her step stool and was placing it by the wall switch in my room.
"um, devin...? "
nothing.
"devin?"
nada.

at this point i should let those of you who don't know me that well, that my dad is irish and my mum is scottish... and i inherited many good traits because of this mix...as well as a GREAT temper.

i saw red.
i had enough.
i know she was focused on what she was doing and that i shouldn't get upset at such trivial matter, don't sweat the small stuff and all that junk...but i had had it.
somehow i managed to keep myself composed and said in a quiet voice,
" devin, you aren't doing as i asked so i am not doing what you asked. i am not reading you a story, go to bed."

now, at this point i should also let you know...devin had also inherited many good traits in her dna...as well as a GREAT temper.

wow. did she loose it.

that kid stormed into her room, slammed the door and threw the BIGGEST hissy fit known to humankind...ok maybe not the biggest but considering she is only three...i was pretty impressed with her fury.

i left her for a bit so we could both cool off. i could hear her in there saying a lot of stuff and making a lot of noise but decided not to poke the bear just yet.

of course all of this woke deirann up. i went back in to help settle her and enjoyed a little bit of time in the calmness of her room. meanwhile i could still hear hurricane devin tearing it up at the other end of the hallway. when deirann drifted off, i opened her door to be greeted by one sweaty, pissed off kid standing in the hall.

"i don't like my room."
" well that is too bad devin, i think it is a nice room."
"i don't like my room at all and i don't wanna be in it anymore."
so i scooped her up, sang "we shall overcome" and we went outside to watched the birds and rabbits in the garden, happy the storm had past.....

yeah right.

i followed up her last comment with my VERY adult comeback of " well, you can go back in your room or you can go sit on the front step with all the ants 'til daddy comes home." i am so mature.
"fine!" she screamed and proceeded to return to her room with a very dramatic door slam that made me wonder if the foundation would crack.
i could hear a little more rumbling in there and then silence. i waited a little longer then knocked the door.

"devin, can i come in?"
no answer.
hmmm...maybe she fell asleep.
i opened the door an peeked in.

i can see why she didn't like her room.
hurricane devin was a category 4 and did some damage.

she was lying calmly in the middle of her bed...with no sheets, blankets, pillows...nothing but her.
on her floor lay all the bed linens as well as everything normally found on top of the overstuffed ottoman she likes to read on (pillows, teddies, blankets etc).

feeling terrible that she was this upset, i sat on her bed and we had a good talk. we discussed what she was feeling and i let her know how i was feeling. i did what all the textbooks say to do, repeat back her statements so she knows i heard her, but still being firm with my own decision.

we settled up with a few heartfelt "i'm sorries" and enjoyed a good cuddle. we decided that it would be best to make her bed and even sang "what's going to work...TEAM work!" to help get the job done properly.

"mama, i really like my room you know."
"i know devin."
"mama this is the book you are going to read to me now..."

???
are you kidding me?

remember when i said she likes to stand as close to the line and see what she could get away with? she also likes to jump up and down on the line at times and laugh at you.

with that i said,
"goodnight devin i love you."

and heard " i love you too mama." followed by a giggle...

man we are in trouble when she is a teenager!