Hard lesson

We have a couple of rules at the Richardson household that Sam and I are very strict about. Not being rude or impolite, using your words and the most important, eating all your dinner before dessert. My kids know they have to have a happy plate! Even little Odi told us tonight that she was going to have a happy plate so she could get dessert. Well on with my story. Today was National Doughnut Day. Krispy Kreme was giving away free doughnuts!!! So Sam told the kids after dinner we could go get some. Lately Thaddeus will dilly dally with eating his food. He does eventually eat it all but he waits about 20 minutes till we are all done and I am pulling out the cookies or whatever it is for dessert if we are having a dessert that night. He knew what the plan was for tonight and I told him to start eating now cause when we were all done I wasn't going to wait for him to finish cause we would be out the door already, Well, he decides to wait anyway. After about the 7th time telling him to eat, I told him it was to late, that I had told him to many times and he would have to stay home and not get a doughnut. It was really sad cause I know Buds favorite thing to eat in the whole world is a Krispy Kreme doughnut! I knew he really wanted one but he didn't obey. Sam and I never go back on what we say. We feel it is very important to stay consistent and firm in our rules we have set. Odi started to throw a fit about something so Bud, Odes, Acey and myself stayed home and missed out on doughnuts! Which is upsetting cause I ate all my dinner. As Sam was walking out the door with Piper, I had Acey in my arms screaming and Odi and Bud, one of each leg, screaming. (I always get the glamorous fun jobs!) Bud would not stop screaming and throwing a fit. So I told him 3 times to stop or he would have to go to bed. He never stopped, so at 6 o'clock I sent him up to his bed.  I asked him if yelling and screaming ever got him what he wanted. He replied "no" so I asked him why he thought it would work this time. he said it wouldn't and finally calmed down and fell asleep just a few minutes later at 6:15. I felt really bad, but we have to stand strong and no matter how much we want to cave, we can't! Piper tried this technique on us and we never caved and now she always eata all her dinner with no fits! Ever! 

Perseverance!!!!