Ever since Ridley kindly offered Maddox the coveted middle seat in the van, Maddox has taken measures to maintain her claim of the coveted spot. She intentionally leaves a pair of shoes right under the seat in order to save time the next morning. It’s no holds barred when pushing past her siblings to get to the seat as soon as the door opens. The siblings haven’t put up much of a fight until this morning. Ridley had already mentioned a couple of times about wanting to sit in the middle again. He made the power move this morning by getting to it first. Maddox sat and bawled.
Me to R: Ridley, you can’t take the seat unless your sister gives it to you. Remember, you gave her the seat. She can have it till she gives it up. It’s the same rule that we have with toys.
Me to M: Maddox, you’ve had the middle seat for quite sometime now. Ridley really wants it. Can you share?
Q: I never get the chance to sit in the middle seat. (She walks away with a pout. Unlike her siblings, she never pouts. Or get into power struggles.)
M (after some consideration): I will sit in the middle seat this morning. Ridley can sit in the middle seat after school.
Me: And Quinlin? Can she sit in the middle seat tomorrow morning?
M: Yes. And then I can sit. And then Ridley can sit. It’s like the Raccoon. When you share with others, others will share with you.
Everyone happily gets in the van. I rejoice.
It’s a mystery how our munchkins have turned so reasonable. Who knows how long this new routine will last. Still. I really am proud of how they’re growing into pretty decent human beings. Thank God.
This Mom Life 