In a what?

Joel's disobedience and disrespect earned him a spanking today. But I must confess the way I did it was probably less than ideal (My lame excuse is that I'm congested and feel run down physically.)

He had acted up in the van when it was impossible to receive immediate consequences. Yet he was warned.

So here we were in Sarah's room, with her on the bed and me in the chair. I said, "Joel, bend over. You're getting a spanking for doing that fake cry to try to get your way. " He bent over. "And while you're bent over, I'm gonna spank you for everything else you've done wrong today." I felt silly saying that and started to chuckle.

"Oh, that's real effective parenting, Mom, " Sarah said.

"And you're in a propriate," Joel said, laughing.

"In a what?" I said, losing all composure.

"A propriate," he repeated.

"No, I'm not, " I said, 'you're gonna get 3 swats." And he did.

Sarah then took out the Bible and began Proverbs to him. "He who spares the rod hates his son," it says, "If Mom and Dad hated you, they wouldn't spank you, but they love you,"

"You're reading it wrong!" he insisted.

"No, read it for yourself," Sarah said, and showed him Proverbs 13:24. He read out loud word by word, "He . Who. Spares. The. Rod. Hates. His. Son."

He was had. Then he was cheerful.

That's what I call a "propriate" response to discipline!~)

Ebay Mom

This afternoon Joel was being a real pest. You know how overtiredness just gets them obnoxious. So he, my sweet and precious angel baby, was bothering his big brother big time. I told him sternly, "Lay down on the bed. Just stay there till I tell you to get up."

He grumped and snarled and said, "I hate when you do this."

"I don't like when you do what you've done, honey. It's not right or good."

"Would you like me to buy another mom?" he threatened.

"Another mom? Where would you buy one?" I asked, trying not to smile.

'On eBay," he said. "They sell 'em."

We both cracked up, and he came running to me and threw his arms around me. "I love you, sweet Mommy," he said.

"I love you, too, sweet baby, but I didn't tell you could get up out of bed. I'm not going to change my mind just because you're all huggy-kissy and funny."

"You're not?"

"No. Maybe an eBay mom would, but not me."