I Lose. Again.

Is it possible for siblings to both have a good behavior week at the same time? Or do they conspire to ensure that at least one of them is a jerk at all times? NEVER MIND, I KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT.

This week it's Mila's turn to make me doubt my reason for existence! Hooray!

We're a few days into Mila being SO VERY FOUR, so I think I've figured out what is at the bottom of it. My first hint was the screaming and ridiculous fits. The second hint was when she ate a huge lunch, three snacks, and four dinners all in one day. GROWTH SPURT! Maybe by this time next week she won't be the shortest kid in her class!

I doubt it, but maybe.

As is common with basically all children, Mila is a bear during growth spurts. (Oh, and if you think that is uncommon and it's just Mila? SHUT UP. Let me live in my happy little world where I think it's normal. I need it for my sanity.) By "bear," I mean OMG MAKE IT STAHP.

Saturday night. Saturday night Mila was tired on top of exhausted on top of sleepy, so of course she propped her eyelids open with toothpicks and stared at the television way longer than she should have. I honestly thought she would fall asleep, but somehow she stuck with whatever movie she picked. When it ended, I was all GAME OVER GO BRUSH YOUR TEETH and she was all BUT SNUGGLES.

When Mila screams, "I want snuggles!" what she means to say is, "Ma'am, I am far too tired to accurately describe my feelings, so would you please snuggle with me for 0.000001 seconds so I can fall asleep?" I know that's the translation, but brush your teeth, kid. Remember, this is the kid who has already had teeth ripped out of her head because they decayed in a matter of months, so brushing teeth before bed is not optional. I reminded her that she needed to brush her teeth first about 139513024968234 times, but she wouldn't quit screaming about snuggles and ... oof. It went on and on and I'm honestly not sure which one of us used up more energy yelling.

I do know that we hit a low when she was laying on the bathroom floor squirting toothpaste on my foot because she was mad. It kind of seemed like that was more work than just brushing her damn teeth (or letting me do it - that was offered MANY times), so I lost it. I left and went upstairs without her, which meant she was further away from getting the snuggles she wanted, and WELP. So much melting down. All of the melting down.

Eventually teeth were brushed and she went to sleep, but then came morning. And HOOBOY. She woke up just as fiesty as she was when she fell asleep. It eventually led to me snarling at Mila and asking, "Is this how good girls behave?"

Mila replied, "No, it's how Mila girls behave." So, yes, she is self-aware.