Goldfish Epiphany

Yesterday started with the typical morning rush. I was trying to get all 3 kids ready for school and out the door with all their stuff...with little hope of being on time. While I changed Ryker, I sent Ellany to get dressed in the bathroom where I had laid out her clothes. Having Ellany get dressed by herself is a new thing. She often ends up wearing something backwards or inside out, but we keep trying! This time she did a great job and I told her I would be there in a minute to brush her hair.

While she waited in the bathroom, Ellany spotted some goldfish crackers in the trash can. Since they are her favorite snack, she couldn't resist popping them in her mouth. As she chewed, she discovered they didn't taste very good. To get rid of the offending goldfish, she used her shirt to scrape the mush off her tongue and wiped more of it on her pants. When I arrived she stuck out her tongue, so I could remove the last vestiges of yucky goldfish for her. Then I saw her clothes...and got VERY upset! I didn't have time for this!!!!

While I ranted about not taking things out of the trash and using clothes as napkins, I got some clean clothes out of the closet for Ellany. I continued to fume as I helped her get dressed. Then she looked at me and said...

"I made a mistake. I'm sorry."

*WOW*.

Normally, when Ellany does something wrong - like writing on the wall or destroying things by chewing on them - she has no regret. She doesn't care if you get mad. Talking to her gets you nowhere and punishment has zero effect. She just doesn't GET IT. Now here she was, acknowledging her unacceptable behavior, apologizing for it AND articulating it very clearly. Fantastic!!!!! We seem to have made a little bit of progress. :0)