Troublemaker

Tucker has been misbehaving something terrible this week. One morning, he threw his milk cup across the room and shattered a framed picture. Then, we had more trouble with him that evening at dinner. Mealtimes can often be a struggle for two reasons: He has too much energy to sit still and eat, and he tends to be a picky eater. On this particular evening, he threw his quesadilla on the floor. And if that wasn't enough, he then grabbed Richard's plate and dropped it on the floor. Boy, was he in TROUBLE. Richard normally isn't the disciplinarian of the household, but he wasn't letting Tucker get away with such behavior. After a scolding, he picked up Tucker's chair and removed him from the dining room. The timer was set for time-out, and our backs were to Tucker as we finished eating. Tucker was crying and trying to reason with us, but we tried our best to ignore him. Now, let me tell you, I was proud of Richard for doing this since he tends to be a bit of a push over when it comes to Tucker (I love ya, babe!). All Tucker normally has to do is bat his eyelashes and look puppy dog pitiful in order for Daddy to give in.

Our little devil knows just what to say to make us feel horrible:
"Dada, why did you put me back here like that?"
"Dada, I've never seen you turn around your back like that."
"Dada, I thought you were my friend???"

When time-out was over, Richard had a conversation with Tucker about his behavior. After Tucker apologized, he asked, "Dada, are we still best friends?"

The following day, Richard had the kiddos at home by himself. While he was taking a shower, Tucker sprayed Shout all over our SILK curtains, SILK couch pillows, coffee table, fridge, walls, etc. Now you might ask why we even have silk curtains and pillows in the first place with two little ones in our house. Good question, actually...because those were the only curtains that I found in just the right color combination. Dumb decision on my part! We keep all cleaning supplies on high shelves that Tucker can't reach, but we are guilty of leaving the Shout on top of the dryer. Tucker has never messed with it before, and we didn't think he would go looking for trouble in the laundry room! Richard learned a lesson about not leaving Tucker out while he's in the shower. I always strap him in his high chair whenever I shower. Now, what will we ever do when he outgrows his high chair?!! That's a serious question...and I'm open to suggestions!

There's more. On Wednesday, Tucker unlocked the front door and let himself out. So my search begins for child protective door locks that he can't figure out! Thank goodness for the door alarm beep and him ringing the door bell. There is a funny story behind this one though. He and Daddy "booed" someone earlier in the week, and that's what Tucker explained he was doing. "Booing" is something our neighborhood does to get in the Halloween spirit. Someone rings your doorbell and runs away in the darkness before you can spot them. They leave behind a Halloween treat basket with a ghost cut-out and letter explaining that you've been booed. You then are given the task of booing three people to carry on the fun. Everyone who has already been booed puts the ghost cut-out on their front door. It's neat seeing all of the ghosts on the doors throughout the neighborhood! Obviously Tucker really enjoyed sneaking around with Richard to boo our neighbors, so much so, that he thought he could go do it all by himself. I tell you, he is causing me to age way beyond my years!