I'm not sure what words to use to adequately convey just how wild Mila has become over the course of the past year. The child has forgotten all manners of how to exist in this world. Which, let's be honest, it wasn't a long drive. The kid has always been a joy chaser, which means she has always made choices that were awesome in the short-term, but terrible in the long-term.
Ask her about our little trip to At Home the other day. Actually, don't, because she's still mad about it.
Here's the thing - I don't believe in warnings. If you know you aren't supposed to do something, just don't do it. I shouldn't need to count to 3 or remind you repeatedly that you're out of line. I give Mila the benefit of the doubt fairly often and issue a warning or two, but this time, I was not feeling it. She was literally running laps around the store. While she wasn't bothering anyone else, she definitely knows that we don't run in stores because it's rude and it's not safe. Period. And, thus, I quietly stewed and glared a little, but I stayed quiet. Mila interpreted that as permission.
It wasn't permission.
Mila found that out when we got back to the car. I silently grabbed her Kindle Fire and turned around to leave. Mila was confused and asked for it back, but then I softly asked, "Are you supposed to run around inside stores?"
Mila started SOBBING. Instantly. So, basically, if there was any doubt about whether or not she knows better, she answered the question. She definitely knows better. There was some back-and-forth, but the end result was that Mila lost access to her Kindle for a few days. Before that, though, Mila had one very important question. It was grounded in her awareness that rules generally exist to keep her safe.
"Why do you care about me so deeply?"
INDEED, KID. INDEED.