The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good:
~ Last night as Chuck tucked Charlie in, he rubbed his back and said, "You're getting so big, Charlie!" Charlie responded, "Yeah, I'm getting bigger. When I get really big, and really tall I'll be like Big Daddy. And my belly will be really tall like Big Daddy, too! Really tall like a mountain!!"

~ Today Charlie asked me for something, so I told him to ask Daddy. He then yelled up the stairs, "Hey Babe, I need you to come down here and help me!"

~A few days ago, as I prepared Charlie for a spanking, I told him that if he fought me, he'd get 3 spankings, but if he stood still, he'd only get one. For the first time ever, he stood still, and I spanked him once. He then told me matter-of-factly, "That didn't even hurt!" It was really hard not to laugh. I wanted to tell him he should keep that to himself! :) Instead I told him if he disobeyed again, the next spanking would definitely hurt!

The Bad:
~ Chance has many knots on his head. While Charlie had many bruises on his forehead at this age from running and falling, Chance is usually more cautious and less bruised. About a month ago, as we set on our concrete steps (the kind with pebbles), Chance sat a couple of stairs up from me. We were all blowing bubbles, until somehow, Chance landed head first onto the stair. He immediately had a big goose-egg bump on his head, just inside his hairline.

~THEN a few days later, I had the gate open to our porch, so if Chance wanted to come down to where I was, just below the porch in the flower beds, he could. What I didn't realize, is he would try to take his ride-on Mater down with him. Thus, he has three more bumps on his poor little head. I think he knows now that the stairs and Mater don't mix.

~Chance is also covered in ant bites! Poor guy! I had the sprinklers going for the boys to play in. I was about to strip Chance down when he started crying. I thought it was because his pants had gotten wet, so I didn't take them off immediately. But soon I realized they were crawling up his legs. Chance had ants in his pants! ha! Anyhow, by the time I get him stripped, he had bites from toe to neck. It was terrible.


The Ugly:
~I recently found out that Charlie has been acting up in his class on Tuesdays (Bible Class). At first I thought his teacher didn't care for him much, but now I know it's because he was making her job very difficult. Funny how such a thing never crossed my mind! This was his first bad report ever. I was humbled a bit! I found out that he was feeding off the energy of another boy in the class, and together they were quite troublesome and also the natural leaders of the class, so all the other kids would rebel, too. He was just short of leading riots! Argh. Until he hit 3 years old, he usually only rebelled against me (and Chuck), but now it's everyone. I had always hoped that somehow if I disciplined him right, he wouldn't rebel against anyone else. :( Anyhow, before class this week I told him to obey his teachers or they would get me and I would take him home. As I picked him up later, his teacher said he was a changed child! My only regret is we're resolving this so late in the semester, and we only have one more class left.

~Charlie's also become aggressive that last few weeks. Do all boys go through this? Is it a stage?? I hope so! Until now, he had always surprised me with how considerate he was toward his brother. But lately he's turned mean toward Chance, and to me as well. Not only does he get physically aggressive, he even yells mean things. Needless to say, he's been disciplined a lot lately. And there's something about disciplining him that wears me out. I wish it was easy, and he would just get it.

~So it was with hesitation that I sent Charlie to his grandparents' last weekend, knowing how rebellious and aggressive he's been. [A little background: my dad was practically near tears anytime I would spank Charlie when he was younger. He said he couldn't imagine doing that. It's really funny if you know how big and tough my dad is! And how he disciplined us kids!] Anyhow, the first evening there, as they were getting out of the tub, Charlie kicked Chance for no reason. When he saw that it didn't hurt, he reached back to brace himself, and kicked him again! My dad witnessed the whole thing, and brought him into another room, talked to him and then gave him a good spanking! He said that since Charlie was still diaperless, it made quite an impact. He said he was a perfect and happy kid the rest of the weekend.

Yet, I have to balance this with the times that Charlie is so good. He often shows care for Chance, without our prompting. He shares with him and plays with him. It's hard to not smile as you hear them laugh at each other. I know Charlie has a strong will, which could mean he could be a good leader someday. It's just the getting-there that worries me! :)