Just a few dirty dishes...

Girls...oh my nerves.  I had a 2.5 hour show down with my 5year old over her washing a few dishes.  Can you say ATTITUDE?  There was no way she would budge and no matter how many things I threatened to take away, or how many times I told her she had no choice in the matter, she would not back down.  "I am not doing the dishes", "I wish I had a different Mom", "I hate living in this house".  Did I mention that she is FIVE?  I thought I was going to loose it...I had visions of taking every dirty dish(all 8 of them)and putting them on her bed!!!!  but I didn't...I let her sit on a chair in front of the sink for 2 hours...2 hours!!   My son even came out and said "mom, I will do the dishes for her", but at this point it had nothing to do with the dishes and everything to do with not letting her get away with the ATTITUDE. 

The funny thing is that in the midst of all of this I am looking at my little girl and I am proud of her...I am proud that she isn't afraid to speak her mind, that she is willing to go the distance for something she believes in and that she is not a pushover...I can see her little personality forming and I can see glimpses of an adult version of this 5year old who is passionate and dedicated...but today she is 5 and she still has to wash the dishes...And she did...Not all of them and not well, but they were done and she was happy and proud of herself and I was glad that I didn't back down. We hugged and made up and she was her happy-go-lucky self once again,  making her brothers laugh and acting the fool :)

This being a mom thing is HARD on a good day, but on a day that starts off with the mother of all showdowns...lets just say I'm taking an Advil and heading to bed...well, after I re-wash all of the dishes ;)

Tomorrow is a new day (and one day closer to the teenage years)