OF COURSE.  Two days after writing a post about how I set the tone in my home, if I’M calm then THEY’RE calm, all hell breaks loose today.

Ada got in my car at approximately 3:23 today after school.  At 3:25 she had a fit that I wouldn’t roll up the windows.  We were in Grace and Eli’s carpool line, so I had the car off and the windows down – she didn’t approve.  CLEARLY.  She wanted the windows up.  She didn’t like the song that was on.  She wanted to pick the song we listened to.  She NEVER gets to pick the song we listen to (not true).  She hates this song.  This song is stupid.  You get the idea.  I told her that her bad attitude would not get her what she wants.  It was now 3:27.  She cried and yelled the whole way home.  I ignored her, because at that point my other option was pulling over and setting her on the curb.  It was all downhill from there.  Grace and Eli cried about having to homework (is this really still a surprise to them?).  Eli threw a monster fit at the neighbor’s house because I made him come home after I found him there without permission.  He walked away from me and said he wasn’t coming home.  I told him (within his friend’s earshot), “You can walk, or I can carry you like a baby.  What is your choice?”  He decided walking home was a good option.

I kid you not, THIS is how my afternoon went.  Every minute of it until Chad got home.  We ate in silence because four of us had had it, and I think Chad was worried everything might come crashing down at any moment.  But he kept his cool and held everything together.  Sigh.  I love my husband.  I did warn him what he was walking in to on his way home from work at least. : )