Even though...

I wrote the following in my head a few minutes ago as a follow-up to my earlier post on why I'm grateful for my children. Keep reading and you'll understand why I had to come and jot all of this down right now before I forgot it.

I'm also grateful for my children...

• Even when they scream and cry and throw hysterics all through dinner because they "don't want that much chicken on my plate!". Especially when you realize that they want more chicken, not less but it's too late to give in to the fit so you spend 10 minutes calming them down. Then they ask for ranch dressing, which you add to their plate but again - not enough so they go back into hysterics because you gave them too little ranch dressing to go with their too little chicken. Sigh.
  
  
• Even when they cry because you won't give them any more rice unless they eat some of their chicken first.
  
  
• Even when they fling rice on the floor and laugh because it makes such a fun, sticky mess.
  
  
• Even when they keep asking you the same question over and over again, which you've already answered, just not to their satisfaction.
  
  
• Even when I leave the kitchen during the hysterical fit they're throwing, so they follow me into my bedroom and stand next to me crying while I'm trying to type this up.

Excuse me while I put a very tired, probably still not feeling good 4-year-old to bed. Without supper, since she hasn't wanted to eat any of it that I gave to her 30 minutes ago.

I AM grateful for my children. And I will keep quietly repeating it to myself so I don't accidentally forget! :)

As I wrote this, Hannah laid down on the floor in my bedroom next to me, still crying. I ended up just walking out and turning the light off because she wouldn't answer me or talk to me. And I didn't see or hear from her for the next 45 minutes - she fell asleep on my bedroom floor. I went in after putting the other two girls to bed, picked Hannah up and put her into her bed, at which point she woke up and continued on with the fit she'd been throwing as if she'd never stopped. I tried getting a pull-up on her, but gave up and just left the room. She cried for another few minutes and then fell back asleep. At this point I have no idea if she's wearing the pull-up or not, but I'm not about to wake her up again - she apparently needs the sleep! Wow, that was one tired little girl tonight...