sometimes i think i might internally be 12.

seriously.

this is going to be a quick post because i don't have much time.

today was the last day of my jobs for moms a and b.
i prayed for joy before i went, that i would enjoy the children and simply find joy in them.

it went well.
we played hide and go seek, monster, sidewalk chalk.
we played with the water table, we watched their favorite program on tv.
snack time went off with out a hitch.

i had 5 of them today, so i didn't have time to do the dishes, and i didn't worry about it.

we came in from playing outside and mom a was working upstairs.

one of the 2 year olds, the son of mom a, had a hard time playing down in the play room with us while his mother was upstairs working, so she let him run around upstairs with her.

about 10 minutes before i was to leave, the 4-year old girl, the one who is super duper bossy and snotty announced that she too was going upstairs to play. i asked her to please stay downstairs, as we only had 10 minutes left to play together, and if she went upstairs, the remaining 3 children would want to follow, and we needed to give her mother the last 10 minutes to finish her work.

she turned to me, and in the snottiest voice i have seriously ever heard come out of a child, she shouted, "LUCY, I AM GOING UPSTAIRS TO PLAY. STOP TALKING TO ME. I WILL DO WHAT I WANT, WHEN I WANT. YOU BE QUIET, I AM GOING TO PLAY WITH MY BROTHER AND YOU LEAVE ME ALONE!"

i was in the midst of telling her that i didn't appreciate her talking to me like that when suddenly her mother was standing at the top of the stairs.

the little girl turned around and bumped into her mother's knees.

her mother said, "catherine. you will turn around right now and apologize to lucy this instant." catherine turned around and lamely said, "sorry." so softly i couldn't hear her. her mother said, "catherine, no, that is not how you apologize. you will go downstairs, look her in the eye, and say 'lucy, i am sorry i spoke to you so rudely, please forgive me.' and you will wait to be forgiven." so she did. then her mother said, "now, if i EVER hear you speak like that again to lucy, you will receive a time out, is that understood?" "yes mommy." and, "and if i ever hear you speak like that again to another adult, you will also get a time out, is that understood?" "yes mommy." then, "when lucy is here, lucy is in charge, even when i am here working. you are NEVER to tell lucy what to do, is that clear? and you are never to speak to her in that voice again."

and what did i feel?

i felt like i wanted to scream, "haha catherine. fuck you. i win after all."

i swear, i'm 12.