Time to Tighten the Reigns

Do I need to go any further to explain today's title?  I'm hoping that you already know exactly what I mean, and go through this with your children.  For weeks we can have happy, well behaved children, and then, "BAM!"  They're gone.  Actually, it's more like a gradual shift to the monster children.  Yesterday, was the "BAM!"

Jadon and Christian began the day battling.  They fought over t-shirts, who had more cereal, who got to brush their teeth first, and who's t-shirt was "cooler".  Jadon shrieked and screamed while Christian just cried.  Joey worked his mouthy magic on me.  He rudely talked back to me about something so stupid, I can't even remember what it was.  Elia whined about almost everything and Grace just bopped around instigating everyone.

The boys were off to school and I had to run to the store.  About five minutes in, Elia had a major breakdown and started screaming.  I was dragging her by the hand to get to the check out and I ran into a friend.  It never fails.  Every time my kids are demonstrating monster behavior, I bump into someone I know.  I made no apologies and said, "She's bad.  We're going home to bed."  As I stood in the check out line, Gracie began to throw whatever she could reach onto the floor while screaming.  I wheeled those two to the car and angrily placed them in the car seat. 

The afternoon was more of the same.  Jadon came home with a note in his agenda because of some poor choices at school.  Joey fought with me about his homework.  The other kids ran around like wild animals.  My hero got home and for some stupid reason we went out to dinner.  Big mistake.  We ended up shovelling our meals as the girls yelled and whined. We played referee at the table.  It was a disaster.

 I looked at Joe in the car and said, "It's time to tighten the reigns!"  He knew it.  He's good about keeping them tight.  I fail sometimes.  Maybe if I keep them tight, even during the picture perfect happy times, we wouldn't unravel so badly. 

Today, I'm on a mission.  I will let no bad behavior slide.  I will get my happy, well behaved children back.  Until then, they're in time out!