The Barking

Everything is going fairly well over here in the McClelland home. There are good days and bad, but you will have that when you combine a hormonal woman, a little boy who barks a lot, a one year old and a Daddy that works too much.

I will tell you one thing; two ain't got nothin' on three. If I survive this year of Zachary's life it will be a miracle. The attitude is making a serious appearance and resulting in many a timeout. The barking. O-M-G. If he barks again I think I may reach down his throat and rip out his voice box. "RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUFF!" This is his way of saying, "I don't like that you are telling me what to do," or, "Elaina, get off my toys." He mostly barks at his sister because it scares her, and she backs off from whatever they are playing with so she can cry.

Zachary: RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUF!
Me: Enough barking, NOW.
Zachary: I want to bark.
Me: Then do it quietly.
Zachary: No, I want to do it loudly.
Me: Then you can have a face smack.
Zachary: RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUF!

Attitude at its finest. Don't get me wrong, he is a very good boy, he just loves to push my buttons.

I realized this morning that I have created a sort of monster. We were playing Memory Match and I was getting rather frustrated with him because he didn't want to pay attention and continued to choose the same two cards EVERY turn, but then would get angry if I would get a match. When we finished, this is how it went:

Zachary: Now we can play another game!
Me: No, Mommy is frustrated. We will play another game later.
Zachary: I want to play another game now.
Me: Not right now, I am frustrated because you can't pay attention.
Zachary: (and I quote) Well, that is a shock.