Wednesday, February 4, 2015

I Didn't Mean To

Olivia seems to think that the response, “I didn’t mean to.” Will get her out of trouble if she uses it after an something happens.

Example from this morning: Olivia loves water. She loves to bathe in it, she loves to swim in it, she loves to play in it and she even loves to drink it.

This morning I was upstairs getting ready for work. Olivia was ‘keeping my company.’ Yeah. The girls had a two-hour delay this morning and weirdos that they are, they both got up at 6. So strange!

She announced she was thirsty at one point and went down the hall to get herself a cup from which to drink.

After a couple of near misses, I ordered her to go downstairs and get her cup with a lid so she wouldn’t make a mess.

She left only to return with a bottle of water. One that has a lid that needs to be removed if one wants to drink from it.

That was a HUGE improvement.

She drank from the bottle, refilled it and drank again at least three times, each time leaving just a little bit of water on the counter.

And upon her fourth or fifth refilling of the water bottle, she managed to drop the entire thing, fully filled, onto the bathroom floor.

I might have groaned at her or perhaps I snapped. Whatever my response, she came back with, “I didn’t mean to!”

I replied, “Maybe not, but there’s still a mess to be cleaned up.”

I told her to get the towel behind her and help me sop up the water. She stood there as if she didn’t understand the instructions. She understood them, she just didn’t want to help clean up her mess. She’s like that sometimes (read: most of the time.)

I repeated my instructions to her and she finally complied. Sometimes, she realizes I’m like the Borg and that resistance is futile. Other time, she’s tries to Captain Janeway her way out of compliance.

After we’d cleaned up the water and put the wet towels in the hamper I ordered her to go downstairs to bother Alyssa. “I’m getting ready plug some things into the wall and I don’t need you around here with water to electrocute us both.”

She laughed, as if I were joking and then meandered down the stairs.

I wish I were more patient, that I didn’t snap as quickly as I do but damn, that child is a lot of work sometimes. And let me state right here that a lot of the work she creates has nothing to do with 5p- syndrome and everything to do with Olivia being Olivia.

I love her with every fiber of my being but yeah, she’s a lot of work.

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