You were talking to who???

Hugo collected up the three rental DVDs and headed out the door with out oldest daughter. Emma glared as she watched them leave and finally unable to contain herself, stood up from where she was squatting on the living room floor, sorting out a puzzle.

The glare deepened and she raised her voice and stared straight at me:
"YOU promised me I could watch AUGUST RUSH!"

I was startled for two reasons.
One - I had not seem the movie and definitely had not promised her she could watch it.
Two - I was shocked by her tone and manner.

"Emma Louise" I commanded in my "you are in big trouble, young lady" voice.

That she had caught my tone was very evident in her face as she reluctantly walked to the dining room table where I was seated.

"Who were you just talking to?" I demanded.

"Uh..." she paused. "God?" she hesitantly answered.

"God?" I queried. "You talked to GOD like that?"

"No! No, I am.... just thinking....." she answered in a worried and confused voice and she wrapped one arm around my neck and stared at me, her eyes quite troubled.

"Well - who were you talking to?"

There was a long pause and then haltingly with a question in her voice:

"You... maybe??"

At this point I could not handle it anymore and burst into laughter and had to hide my face. To Emma's credit she did not join my laughter, but waited solemnly for me to recover. Once I did, we sorted out just who she had really been directing her anger at, which was an older sibling, and what was a more appropriate way of dealing with it.

Sometimes, though, it is so hard to keep a straight face while disciplining and teaching a little one; is it not?



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