April’s been one hell of a month, and I’m happy to see it go. So much chaos surrounded Mom’s hospitalization, and I tried to keep the madness out of my own household, but it was unavoidable.

Late dinners and missed bedtimes by Mommy, combined with the absence of Granny, threw my daughter’s life out of whack. And like any kid whose life is knocked into a tailspin, my girl acted out.

E’s done so much fake crying, eye rolling, and arm folding, you’d think she was auditioning for a role on the CW. “We don’t give out awards for drama here,” I said. “When you grow up, you can take up acting and get nominated by the Academy.”

My reaction was not as she hoped, so E turned up the volume. After an incident involving lip gloss, I realized I was dealing with a diva. The best way to handle, I reasoned, was in true diva fashion.

“No sandals until you start listening to Mommy and Daddy,” I announced.

Her eyes widened. “What about my new flip flops? Or my nail polish from Granny?”

“I took them back. You won’t need any Barbie pink toenail polish either. No one will see your feet because you’ll be wearing socks and tennis shoes.”

“But Mommy…” she put on Sad Face #12.

“Don’t start. I may be able to get your flip flops back, but you need get yourself together now. Or you will be the only one at school in snowboots this summer.”

Even at 5 years old, E does not believe in wearing shoes out of season. She started to cry, for real. “I’ll try to do better, Mommy,” she said between sniffles.

So far, so good. She earned back one pair of sandals this week. I’m holding out the favorites — a pair of white flip flops with a silver flower — until I return from my business trip.

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone