Indignant

Gamble has gotten in the habit of walking away when he gets mad. Sure, he storms away to his room, but he no longer yells or cries while he's going.

So this afternoon, when Mommie cut off his snack of chicken nuggets in favor of eating dinner together as a family in a couple hours, he got upset, and stormed toward his room.

Just before he got there, however, he paused to adjust the hallway rug. He pushed it so it wasn't on the threshold to his room. And then he got an idea.

He pushed it closer to the living room. Farther towards the living room than it should be by about two feet. And then he taunted Nicole.

"Mom! I moved the carpet closer to the puzzle."

She didn't really look up. "Gamble, that's okay. You're a good boy." What she didn't see was the grin on his face, and the defiantly crossed arms.

His face fell. His mother hadn't really noticed his carefully crafted ploy to get under her skin. So he pushed the rug almost all the way down the hall. He stood there again, defiant and indignant.

You could read his mind from the look on his face: "Oh, Mother. You'll rue the day you ever conceived of bringing a mobile floor covering into this house. I've shown you. I have the power to rearrange things!"

I tried so hard not to laugh. I sure like this better than the screaming and crying we used to get.