That's what you get!

Kids are so crazy. They have to be told not to do things millions of times, and they still do it. Not only that, but when they do the thing they were told not to do, and get hurt, they have the nerve to want our hugs and comfort. Well, what I really want to tell them is, "THAT'S what you get!" For example:

• Vivian likes to jump down the stairs. Yes. Jump. I don't get it. She just barely learned to walk downstairs, and now she wants to jump? So, every time I see her jumping down the stairs, I tell her, "Please don't jump. Hold on to the railing to be safe." So, you'd think that by now, she would know not to jump. Right? This morning, I heard her jumping, and before I could remind her not to, she fell and smashed her little face into the gate at the bottom of the stairs. So, once I determined that there wasn't any blood or broken bones, I had to resist the tremendous urge to tell her, "Now, THAT'S what you GET for jumping down the stairs!"
• Like Patricia, I was the oldest sibling. I had two younger brothers. Every so often I would be a nice sister and let them play in my room with me. She does the same thing. Inevitably her siblings end up getting into her stuff, acting like morons, and refusing to get out when she asks them to. So, after she comes to me totally frustrated and ready to kill her younger siblings, I tell her the same thing that my mother told me, "Sometimes that's what you get for being nice. One day they will appreciate it."
• Trystan can't seem to get it through his thick head that he isn't supposed to rough-house with the dog, Weber. Weber is 70 pounds of bone and muscle. Mostly muscle. He is a big, slobbery boxer. And he loves to play. When he rough houses with Trystan, he likes to jump and grab with his mouth. That's how dogs play. I don't care if he plays that way with other dogs, but he is not allowed to play that way with people. Trystan can't seem to get that through his head. He loves to wrestle and grab at the dog. Weber is all too eager to wrestle and grab back. Can you guess where this story is going? Weber almost always gets carried away and grabs Trystan's sock and rips it. Or he'll grab at his shoes and bite them off. He can't always tell when Trystan is done playing. So, Trystan ends up getting frustrated, hurt, or mad. I never miss the opportunity to tell him, "THAT'S what you get for playing innapropriately with the dog."

I have many other instances like this. I guess it does make me sound like a 'Miss Know-it-all'. But, I do. Well, about most things that have to do with my kids. And if they would just listen to me in the first place, I could save them from unnecessary pain and frustration. They will thank me one day. Yeah, right. "THAT'S what I get."