Laugh and Spanking. Monday was a day of big firsts for us here. Spike laughed for the first time and it was a three minute joy fest. Mae got her first spanking which was less fun for everyone involved. So Mae is a typical two year old who wants to get into absoutly everything. She has been a bit preoccupied with the toilet of late, not in a good potty training way, but in a "Hey, free available water," kind of way. She received a little singing tea pot and cups for her birthday and has loved them and played well with them. She feels that her imagination is lacking and therefore needs real water. When not given tap water she was forced to see other alternatives. Now I have told her on several other occasions to stay out of the toilet and actually had to fish a drinking cup out of the toilet earlier that morning. She was put in her room. Later that morning while I was feeding Spike I did notice it was a bit quiet. A bit too quiet. Then I heard the dreaded fall of the toilet lid. No need to rush to the scene for the culprit came running out dripping from head to toe across the house and into her room spilling a toy tea cup of toilet water along the way. I put Spike down and went to investigate. Yup she was covered, and in the act of changing her I became covered also. Then slowely creeping into the crime scence I saw bunny, beloved bunny, drowned in the toilet, May he RIP. After extracting the body from the toilet I noticed that all that was left in the bowl was about a cup of water.
Now as for my spanking policy, I do not like spanking. In most cases where I observe it I tend to think it is not the best option at the time. I imagine that the number of time I was spanked in my life is less then ten. My parents used it sparingly. More as a final limit of punishment for extremely bad behavior. Max in his five years has been spanked a total of once. (Partly I am sure because he is a really great kid.) Max was spanked because he blatently ignored me and ran into heavy traffic! I felt it was a matter of safety. I felt that in the moment it emphasized the danger of the situation and the importance of not ignoring my warnings. So while Mae was not in immediate danger, I think we can all agree that this was a situation that could not be allowed to happen again, Max is not exactly stellar at flushing. I could child proof the toliet or bathroom door but then Max couldn't get in. Will spanking stop her from drinking more toilet water, well only time will tell. Hopefully I haven't given her a severe negative association with the toilet, that could be awkward come potty training time. I would also like to point out that later while pondering the moral implications of my actions,
Highway to Hell came on the radio.
And now for happy news. Spike laughed! I have mentioned a few times that lately I have questioned my decision to have Spike and Mae so close in age. I thought it was a mistake to not wait til Mae was more manageable. Well I take it back. Spike is a gift from Heavenly Father. He always knows when to grin and be loveable. I had just finished changing him when he turned his head and saw Max playing video games. Now Max playing the Playstation is pretty funny. He plays running and jumping along with his avatar. He never sits down while playing. Spike laughed for a good three min at the spectacle.
