Stand Off

Lest you think I forgot about WME, I assure you that I did not. Since February's start, we have had one very sick child, followed by a second sick child, a sick child's borthday, including a trip to the pediatrician on her birthday, a birthday party for the sick child, a relative who missed the party and came up the next day, thus spreading the birthday to a three day affair, and finally, when all that was over, a sick Mommy. February has been a banner month for us here!
But it has not been without WME moments. My finest occurred on Helen's birthday. Ruthie was on day 3 or 4 of antibiotics for a double ear infection and Helen had developed a fever and cough the day before. A friend whom we had missed at christmas time came over that "day before" just as Helen's fever was climbing, and bestowed holiday gifts upon the girls. The wrapping paper from the affair was stuffed in to a shopping bag where it remained into the next day. Ruthie, upon spying the bag of wrapping paper, proceeded to remove pieces of it and tear them into teeny, tiny, little bitty bits and scatter them on the living room rug. I told her to stop. She refused. When she finally completed her "activity" I told her she needed to pick them up. Again, she refused. About an hour later, I made lunch for both girls. I told Ruthie she could have her lunch as she cleaned up the living room. She continued to stand her ground and refused to clean up. i refused to feed her. Off we went to the doctor with poor sick Helen. Helen got a snack in the waiting room. Ruthie did not. She hadn't cleaned up. We got home and Ruthie announced she was hungry. I told her she could have her lunch after she cleaned up. She refused. All afternoon this went on. Finally, DH came home aorund 5 p.m. with a piping hot pizza. The floor was still a mess. Ruthie was obviously hungry. She still refused to clean up. I told her we would have birthday cake after dinner and she could have some if she cleaned up. She refused. We all sat down to dinner (just cause you're not eating doesn't mean you don't have to be part of the meal.) Ruthie cried hunger a couple more times. As DH and I were on our second slices each and Helen had made a good dent in her piece, Ruthie finally asked if I would help her clean the living room floor. I brought her the trash can and watched her clean up every bit of that wrapping paper in about fifteen seconds. As I served her a slice of pizza, I checked the clock. It had been nearly seven hours since the stand off had begun. And I won.