Can We Have Story Time Now?

KZ is three years and nine months now.  She is becoming more autonomous by the day.  If she asks me for her safety scissors, and I tell her one minute, the next thing I hear is a chair being pulled along the floor.

"Don't worry, Mommy.  I got it."

She may be smiling and very proud, but she is also holding my big girl scissors while standing on a chair.  Not the best choice.  My job as a parent is to help her make the best choices, not be her best friend.

Last night, we had a teachable moment.

"BUT I DON'T WANT TO GO TO BED!" 

This, of course, is from KZ, not me or my husband.  I would give my right arm to go to bed and have a full night's sleep, let alone be able to go to bed by 7:30 pm and sleep until I woke up twelve or more hours later.  My husband would be a close second.  And the dogs just sleep all day ... I want to come back as a one of my friend's dog. 

"No! No!, NO!"

Well, really it isn't normally all the dramatic.  She screams NO as she walks over to hug and kiss he sleeping dogs goodnight.  Then, if daddy is home, she gives him a kiss goodnight.  We head off to her bedroom where we have story time, apply moisturizer, and put on her princess pajamas.  A little teeth brushing and potty action one or two times, and she's out.  The entire process takes about twenty minutes. 

However, last night was a bit difference. 

On her way to her bedroom, she slammed the door in my face.  I stood there for a second and just thought before I acted.  Many scenarios went through my head.

Oh, she is so cute!

Oh, look, she is learning to express her feelings!

Oh, my mother would just laugh and tell her how much she loves her Angel.

But the big thing that hit me was ...

If I let a three year old slam a door in my face, what is going to happen when she is thirteen?

I promised myself that I would learn from past experiences with teenagers and not allow KZ to behave disrespectfully.  With all this going through my head within three seconds, I walked away from her door.  A few minutes later, KZ came out of her room.

"Mommy, we need to do story time, moisturizer, and pajamas."

"KZ, you were rude and mean to Mommy.  That was unacceptable behavior.  Now go to bed, there will be no story time tonight."

She wailed!  The neighbors probably thought that I had beat her.  I did not go into her room.

About ten minutes later, the crying subsided.  She walked out again.

"Mommy, I'm sorry."

"I accept your apology, KZ."

"Can we have story time now?"

"No, sweetheart, we cannot.  I want you to know I love you more than anything in the world.  I would do anything for you.  But, I would never slam a door in your face.  What you did to Mommy was not nice.  When we do not nice things, we cannot expect people to be nice to us.  Tomorrow night, if you behave properly, we'll have story time.  Ok."

"Ok, Mommy.  I love you."

"I love you too."

She went to bed, and not a peep out of her the rest of the night. 

This parenting thing is so hard.  We all pray we make the right decisions.  I just try to do my best, every day.  Only time will tell.