Badge of Honor

This morning, as is typical of at least 4 out of the 5 weekdays lately, was filled with the sounds of disobedience, fits, and crying. Then James left for work. Aaahahaha! Ok, I kid! I kid!
Seriously, though, our mornings have been starting off on some pretty sour notes, which is really wearing me out. I don't want to throw anyone under the bus, so I'll just refer to the main culprit as Deran. This individual absolutely insists on having his own way, however painful that might be for himself or the rest of us, and I'm working on sticking to a form of discipline and being consistent with it (per the wise words of my hubby) to send the message that the way he's behaving is not acceptable and, hopefully, to see some changes around here. We may be on our way, folks, because this morning I was bestowed with what I consider to be a great honor. The phrase: "I DON'T LIKE YOU MOM!!!" A certain level of pride and satisfaction welled up in me as these words were flung down the hall, combined with a measure of sadness and weakening of resolve. But mostly it was pride and satisfaction. You know, I love my kid, and I want what's best for him. And what's best for him is to realize that the world doesn't revolve around him and hurtful behavior usually has hurtful consequences. To be out of my child's good graces is simply a sign to me that I'm doing something right. Because when we're disciplined we don't like it and generally harbor some ill-will, at least for a short time, toward the person responsible for our discomfort.
In a few minutes I'll be walking into my son's room to discuss his offenses and the ensuing consequences. There will be sniffles and then hugs and kisses. And, no doubt, "I love you"s will be exchanged. But probably what I'll relish today is that for a few minutes this morning my son didn't like me because I was doing the right thing for him.