The Meatball Fight

"Sheila, you cannot have any candy until you eat your meatballs," I told my daughter when she spotted some of her mini m&ms sitting on the bookshelf.

"NEES!!" She cried stretching as far as she can trying to get to them as if she is about to grow 4 feet in just a few seconds.

"You must eat your meatballs first," I tell her again. "You need to eat more than junk."

"I don't want meatballs, I want nees." (Nees is her word for both m&ms and nerds.)

I tell her no once again and then watch as she runs off in her usual fit. Rolling my eyes, I turn back to Dr. Phil.

Out of the corner of my eye I spot my daughter clambering on the dining room table and shoving her bowl of meatballs clear across the table. "Sheila, if you don't want them just leave them where they are at but you don't get any candy until you eat them," I explained as I set them back on her spot at the table.

She immediately shoves them away again. Picking her up I set her in the time out chair in the corner. I explain to her why she is in time out. A few minutes later time out is up. Surprisingly, I find her sitting in the time out chair eating a meatball. I peer into her bowl and discover it empty. Realizing she is about to get out of time out she shoves the last one in her mouth and says "'orree." (Sorry with her mouth full.) I couldn't help smiling.