My Brother???

As I look at Karlie & some of the things she does...I start to think back to when I grew up and what a really, REALLY big stinker my brother was. It scares the heck out of me because she does some of the same things that my brother did to my mom in order to get a rise out of her...and Karlie's only 3.

I used to come home from school and all of my barbies & dolls would have new haircuts and my mom would say, Charlie didn't go into your room today so I don't know how that could have happened. Or the days she would ask him to clean his room, my mom would look in after he said it was clean...it looked good...then she checked under & on the other side of the bed & low & behold there was what she had asked him to put away. She would ask him not to touch stuff & he would reach right out with that glint in his eye & touch whatever it was she had told him not to. Now mind you my little brother has grown out of most of this (he still gets this glint in his eye as he teases his wife Jessica just as my dad teases my mom) and we're the best of friends, but back then I really wanted to sell him off, but knew they would only bring him back. :) Sorry Jessica, as my mom says, "No deposit, No Returns". Sorry to tell on you little bro but these are good & true stories.

The other day Karlie & I really hit her room hard, ridding it of those toys we don't use (Happy meal toys), going through clothes that don't fit anymore, etc. Her room was spotless when we finished. So I told her we have to keep it clean, dirty clothes to hamper, clothes in the toy box, ect. at the end of the day. I walked by there the next day & clothes in the middle of the floor so I said pick them up, checked back later & they were shoved under the bed! Or there was the time we had to try out the timeouts. Karlie kept sliding off the chair to go get toys & laughing when I told her to get back on. Finally, I'd had enough & told her get back on that chair, if I see even one of your toes touch the ground you'll have to go to your room. As I was saying this that familiar glint showed up in her eyes, and she slowly slid one toe down to the floor & touched it, looked back at me with the whatcha going to do about it look, and said there now my toes touching. I know my mouth dropped open and you guessed it, off to her room she went, with no glint in the eye anymore. Then there is the selective hearing. So while Karlie likes to test me out every once in awhile; I know where this behavior comes from. Obviously not me for I did no wrong when I was young. :) Karlie is just a little one that needs to know exactly where her boundaries lie. She's wonderful, curious, and her own little individual and she'll turn out just fine even if she's a little stinker now & then like her Uncle Charlie.