All day yesterday Eli was so good. He hardly argued with me, I don't think he whined at all, and he was just so sweet. We went to aerobics and he played with the other kids so nicely, we went to the store and he sat so good in the cart, we went outside and he played by himself so that I could get flowers planted, he ate all his dinner without trying to get down after only eating one bite, he remembered to ask if he could be excused, he even told me I was pretty without asking for a treat afterward.
I thought all my yelling at him for the last three years had finally paid off. I had raised a wonderful perfect child. Oh if dreams were fishes, right?
I guess by about 7:45 he just couldn't take it anymore. He decided being good was just no fun and he was going to make up for it in the last 15 minutes he had left of his day.
First he decided to dump out all of Hallie's little puffs all over the ground. Then Ryan went into the garage for a second and when he came back Eli was dumping water on top of Hallie's head. When Ryan asked him why he did it he said, "because Heavenly Father told me too." (bet you didn't know Heavenly Father told little boys to dunk their sisters). Of course Ryan gets mad at him, not only for dumping the water, but also for lying, and tells him to go inside and get ready for bed.
Ryan meets him in the bathroom to get his teeth brushed and as they are heading to Eli's room Ryan notices that Eli is trying to smuggle a granola bar into his bedroom. (Eli knows he is not supposed to eat in his room). Ryan confiscates the granola bar and because of all the bad choices he also takes Eli's tiger (the worst punishment ever) his zebra, and his bear. All items he loves to sleep with so that he can pick "fuzzies" off them and rub them on his nose. (yes, I am aware my child is weird). anyway, needless to say Eli went to bed screaming.
Well, I was not home when al this occurred, so when I get home Eli comes running out of his room with a big smile to give me a hug like nothing happened. I tell him he needs to go back to bed. He begs me to take him, so of course I do. Well, as I lay him in bed I notice his giraffe is on his bed. (Remember Ryan took all his animals away, except the giraffe). The reason Ryan didn't take his giraffe away was because the giraffe sits on the top shelf in his bedroom. So the only way he could possibly have his giraffe was if he climbed the shelf and got it down (another thing he knows he is not supposed to do).
I just let it to go and left his room. I am a big pushover. Anyway he came out of his room a few more times( another thing he isn't supposed to do). Then we didn't hear from him anymore so we assumed he had finally gone to bed.
Before I went to bed I went to check on the kids. I go in Eli's room and he is not there. I noticed his playroom door is closed and so I try to open it it is locked. (Yes, another thing we have told him a million times not to do-lock doors). Anyway I start laughing find the key and unlock the door. The light was off. I turn it on and there is Eli sound asleep on the floor in his tent with his little giraffe. I couldn't believe it. And it wasn't like he was playing in there and fell asleep. He had grabbed a pillow, his giraffe, turned off the light, climbed in his tent and went to bed.
So much for me thinking I had finally gotten through to him and was finally going to have a well behaved kid. I am sure today we will be back to our normal days of screaming, crying, arguing, and getting into things he is not supposed to.
Being good is just more than little Eli can take.
