I can tell Olivia wants to slap me but she hasn't worked up the nerve. Yet.

Put it in the guilt file, Aims.

Mal's only hit me while spazzing in a tiny berserker rage. Or the one time with the cereal bowl. But he's thought about it a couple times.

(And I apologize to any Buffistas he may have kicked in the sternum).

Aims, you have way more control than I do; being hit puts me right into "fight or flig-- fuck it, FIGHT" mode.

I think I'd have been a few inches shorter if I'd done that. My brother can still imitate the Maternal Look of Death we could get(he got it more than me, as even as a man, he can work a nerve.)

So, Bitches, ever been smacked right across the face by an angry 5 year old?

a) I'm sorry you have to deal with that.

b) This probably isn't what you meant, but he was five at the time Skyzy "Coffee On My Monitor" Mar 25, 2004 1:14:06 pm PST

Oh, little Em. We will now learn a lesson on Violence as a Poor Coping Mechanism. By which I mean to say, much sympathy Aims.

I am now up, when I should be getting ready for bed. I know that these epic naps are not good for the sleep schedule, but damn if they aren't the most reliable reset button for my depression.

I just ate a cheese sandwich. This may have been a poor decision, but my options are few and the lazy is strong.

I think I'll try to do a couple easy things (put away laundry, etc.) that will give me a sense of accomplishment before I go back to bed.

Aims, you are not alone. HKF has come pretty close out of pure rage at being Denied Something.... she can't remember what, but it was Important.

(And I apologize to any Buffistas he may have kicked in the sternum).

(no worries. I didn't need that sternum. and he's still adorable.)

I'm pretty sure that if a kid hasn't at least wanted to strike a parent at some point (much less do it), the parent's not doing her/his job.

But Aims, sorry, that's gotta sting like a mofo in the meantime.

...and I suspect this is why I am not a parent. Because if smacked full face by a five year old, I might just turn them over my knee and show them how much bigger my hand is ON THEIR ASS.

I'm with meara. Although there's a lot less might in my answer.

Raq - I was so stunned, I just sat there, staring. I think she was a bit in shock when she realized what she had done, as I sat there, unmoving, holding my cheek.

After she was in pjs and brushed teeth, she came to me and said, in that halting, hiccup-y breathing, "muh-uh-mommy, I am sorry for suh-uh-lapping you and suh-uh-screaming at you." so I took her back on my lap and said I forgave her and we talked about what hands are NOT for (hitting and slapping and hurting) and what hands are for (eating and playing and holding and hugging) and then she went to bed.

Of course, the parental guilt is there. The second-guessing of child-rearing methods, of the occasional spanking, of where in the world in our 5 years as parents and child did Joe and I somehow make her think that slapping anyone, let alone a parent, was an option when she was angry. I know in my brain that she was acting on frustration and that at 5, impulse control is not her strong suit nor her friend. But in my heart, I feel like she learned it from me. t insert bad 80's PSA - "I learned it by watching you, dad!"