time out

So here's what happened:

I was moving laundry from the washer to the dryer. Animalia was actually helping me until the bag of dog food caught her eye. Then she started playing with the dog food. I told her to stop. I know, playing with dog food isn't the end of the world but she's acquired the bad habit of also torturing Cooper with food items, so I feel the need to retrain her to leave Cooper's stuff alone. Anyhow, she's sticking her hands in it. I tell her no. She does it again. Etc. When my hands aren't full of laundry, I physically move her away from it and she stops momentarily. So.. major plot point.. this is a rainy day. Some of the laundry needs to hang dry, so I scoop it up and start to hang it in the bathroom. She follows me and closes the door. I'm in the bathroom, hands full of wet clothing, and she's in the laundry room. Alone. I hang up the laundry, calmly, but irritated. I walk out of the bathroom when I'm done, only to find her standing in a puddle of dog food. Laughing. She's testing me. And she thinks it's funny. I'm irritated. I tell her that I told her no and she didn't listen so she's gotta go to time out. And I take her to a chair in the children's paradise that is our living room. And I sit her in it. And she cries. And cries. And wails her objections. And cries some more.

Two minutes later...

I tell her she can leave time out. She cries some more and stays in time out. Another minute or so later, she walks over to me, gasping. "Mommy, I'm sorry," she says. I say something parental, like "You got time out because you can't play with Cooper's food." She says something like, "Mommy, I'm really really sorry." She's dramatic, my child is. Then she asks for a hug and I give her one. Then she asks for a kiss and I give her one. The kiss part is weird because she grabs my face, one of her tiny hands on each of my cheeks, and squeezes me a little, and kisses me really hard. I can't help but think that this is the kiss of death, that my tiny child is some sort of mob godfather and I'll be smothered in my sleep tonight by a paid hitman. But I digress. So she gives me a kiss. Then she says, "Little girls don't play with Cooper's food." And I tell her that she's right.