Who is in charge here?

They closed the school early last Friday at the first sign of snow coming down. We were all geared up for going in when we were met with teachers and parents warning us that school would shut at 11am and that we could leave the children there until then or take them home with us now.

The trouble was, that this was all said in the children’s hearing. I was caught off guard and was subsequently railroaded into letting them come home straight away. Ben was ambivalent, but the other two, seeing their friends walking the other way home, bombarded me with reasons not to stay for the 2 hours. 

Being an indecisive, weak and ineffectual parent and wanting to avoid the inevitable public scene if I forced them into their classes, I let them come back home with me after taking Rachel to nursery.

Rachel was not amused and said “if they not going to school, I not have to go to nursery.” She loves it there though, and fortunately changed her mind when she got there.

She is a force to be reckoned with if she digs her heels in, and even more than the others, clearly thinks she is the boss.

After an argument over something, I reminded her;

“Who is the mummy here?”

“You” she admitted

“So who is in charge?” I asked.

Rachel points to herself with a cheeky and knowing nod of her head.

After a no,me,... no, me...., no me... not you, me...set to, she just laughs and scoffs “of course I am!”

She has taken to threatening and bargaining with me lately. One such example was when she told me ‘if you let me eat something from my lunch box, I go into nursery, if you don’t, I wouldn’t!’ 

Another was; “if you don’t let me sit next to you (in the car,) I won’t love you anymore.”

On both occasions I decided to take the risk. 

I call the shots around here.....mostly.