Usually I would send the girls back to whatever they were supposed to be doing and finish feeding Doodle then take care of it but we\u2019re talking about broken glass<\/a>.\u00a0 And spilt nail polish\u2026<\/p>\n And that is when I lost it.<\/p>\n I sent the girls out of the kitchen and strapped Doodle into his highchair and as I began to clean up the mess, I gave the girls everything I had.\u00a0 But (luckily) I didn\u2019t have much in me.\u00a0 I wanted to scream, let them have it, make them feel the true consequences of their actions and choices but my voice came out barely louder than usual and was all crackly.<\/p>\n In any other situation I probably would have sat down right there in the middle of the kitchen floor and cried, but there was broken glass.\u00a0 And nail polish.\u00a0 So instead of collapsing in frustration, I wept while I swept.\u00a0 And I bawled while I vacuumed.\u00a0 And I sobbed while I mopped. \u00a0(I’m starting to sound like a knock-off Dr. Seuss book!)<\/p>\n And I thought about it.\u00a0 In that moment I had lost it and while I felt guilt over my reaction, what really bothered me was the question: when<\/i> had I lost THEM?<\/p>\n When did my parenting go so far off course that they can\u2019t follow simple directions? \u00a0That our basic house rules (rules like if it\u2019s not your, don\u2019t touch it; make smart, safe choices; and be kind to each other) are too much to handle?<\/p>\n I tried to remind myself that testing boundaries<\/a> is normal and that it indicates a secure attachment<\/a>.\u00a0 But we\u2019re not talking about a baby or toddler here, this is not about Doodle reaching into the cookie jar after I told him \u201cno\u201d.\u00a0 This is a four year old and a six year old who feel so confident in my love for them that they can do anything they want.<\/p>\n They know that I love them always and no matter what but what we\u2019re missing is the respect part.\u00a0 Somehow I\u2019ve been completely incapable of teaching them to have respect for me.\u00a0 To treat me kindly, lovingly and to do what I ask of them.\u00a0 They do these things for most other people but can\u2019t manage to understand it should be done for me as well.<\/p>\n![\"wpid-IMAG1433-612x1024\"](\"https:\/\/www.beyondmommying.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/wpid-IMAG1433-612x10241.jpg\")
<\/a>I took Doodle off the boob and rushed into the kitchen to find Sugarplum precariously perched on the edge of the kitchen bench where she had been trying to reach my nail polish on top of the cabinet.\u00a0 And there was the hard truth: nail polish and broken glass splashed across the kitchen floor.<\/p>\n