Teaching

This week I've been really tired. Annika is either going through a growth spurt or trying to kill me one sleepless night at a time. I'm hoping for the former. Needless to say, I've been a bit short tempered with those around me. (Sorry hubby!) One late afternoon I snapped at Elena and she slunk off towards another room, tail between legs. I felt horrible so I swooped her up in my arms and hugged her, telling her that I was sorry for being mean. She promptly forgave me. : )

So truthfully I'm not sure if Elena has actually been behaving badly this week, or if I have just been overly grumpy from the sleep deprivation. Either way, she has gotten a couple of spankings. I've never done it in anger, thankfully, but I have done it when she has directly disobeyed something I asked her to do.

Elena hates to be spanked.

I was doing laundry yesterday and she walked up to me and said, "Mommy... 1... 2... 3... it's time for spanking on your bum" She then gave me three little love taps on my backside. I was trying really hard not to laugh. Then, when the spanking was finished, she walked to my front side and gave me a big hug, saying, "It's okay Mommy, it's okay." After she had reassured me that all was well, she gave me a kiss and walked away.

Say what you will about spanking. Some like it, some don't. It was illegal in Germany, although one of my cousins laughed and said, "I just make sure we're in a room with no windows!" I've always had mixed feelings about it, because I often felt as if I was spanked without being able to explain my side of the story (sometimes I did deserve it no doubt, but sometimes I felt that I didn't).

So far, I'd say that I'm doing a decent job with spanking. It doesn't happen that often, but when it does I always reassure Elena that she is loved, and make sure that she knows why she is being spanked. Some day, I'm sure she'll want to tell me her side of the story, and at that point I will make sure to listen.

Until then, I hope she knows that the hug and kiss at the end are just as important to Mommy as the spanking is at the beginning. Both are teaching a lesson.