A Loyal and Pure Heart.....(most of the time)

My children are close and typically are very loyal to their siblings, but there are always exceptions to this. As with most siblings, my kids don't think twice about tattling on each other. Even Ben, who is fiercely loyal even to the point of fighting bigger kids in order to protect his brother and sisters, has his moments where his loyalty waivers and his motives are questionable.

Last Sunday, the family was getting ready to leave for church. The only one who wasn't ready was Jacob and he was fighting it because he thought he had better things to do. Meanwhile, I am sitting on the floor in his room calling for him to come so I could get him dressed. After calling him several times, he tells me, from down the hallway, that he isn't coming. Then, as all parents know, the next step is to threaten them with a spanking and hope that it scares them enough to obey because you really don't want to have to get up off the floor, chase him down, give him a spanking and then have to make your way back into the room, sit on the floor and try to dress a wiggly boy into his church clothes. So I proceed with the threat, "Jacob, do you want a spanking?!" And then, before Jacob can answer, I hear Ben in the living room (who has apparently had his ears perked up to the conversation) say, "Uh, yeah Mom, he does. He REALLY wants a spanking."

If you have read some of my past posts about Ben, you know that he provides us with most of the comedy around the house. Yesterday, I was talking to Jared on the phone while stretched out on the girl's bed. Benjamin had come into the room and was lying down on the bed with me. I told Jared that my head hurt "so bad". And Benjamin says, "I'm so bad." I laugh and say, "Well, I hope not!" and Ben replies, "Oh, I hope yes!"

And this morning Ben was complaining about something I had told him to do. His response was, "Mom, why do I have to do that?" And I replied, "Because I am your Mommy so therefore, you have to do what I say." And Ben replies, "Mom! I don't want to be four!" (It took me a few seconds to figure that one out!)