Silent Treatment

Today was battle of wills. Milo wanted to run through the house amok and I wanted to get ready and be to work on time. Not an unreasonable goal on my part. Not anything out of the ordinary, just get to work on time. This isn't a lofty goal, in fact I am sure that most of you have had the same goal in your lifetime. Milo has never had this goal because Milo leads a blessed life, as do most 3 year olds. No work, no obligations other than of course the very oppressive; put your shoes on, brush your teeth, eat your breakfast and do what your Mother tells you to do. It is this last one which distressed him so much this morning.

Clearly I was being unreasonable. I was asking him to stop running up and down the hallway screaming like a banshee. I was asking him to go into his room to get changed and then horror of horror I wanted him to follow that up with a trip to the bathroom for teeth brushing, hair combing and hand washing. What kind of mother does this to a young boy?

Me. I do this. And I use my stern Mom voice to boot.

To clear the record, I asked him nicely, then I gave him a warning. When that was unheeded, I took matters into my own hands and the mean Mom voice came out. We managed to get into the car only 15 minutes behind schedule. Then catastrophe hit.

Milo left his Transformers pictures at home. He informed me of this once I was on the freeway. I was not about to turn back. I told him this and from the wailing sobs that came after I am quite sure that I broke his little heart in two. He tried to beg me, bargain with me, plead with me to turn the car around and retrieve the pictures. I said no. And then Floppy was thrown at the back of my head.

Milo: BUT I WANT IT!!!!!
Me: (patience hanging by a thread) I am sorry, but I am not turning around
Milo: (increasing volume) BUT I WANT IT RIGHT NOW!!!
Me: I know you are frustrated, but I am not turning around, you can get it when we get home.
Milo: I am not Frub-strated Mom. (then he sticks his tongue out at me)
Me: Milo, that is not nice at all, and you know better
Milo: I do not like you Mom.
Me: I am sorry to hear that.
Milo: I DON'T WANT MY FLOPPY EITHER!

The soft thud of a small brown stripey cat hits the back of my head.

Me: (patience is now gone) Okay fine, Floppy will stay with me until you can improve your attitude
Milo: FINE! YOU NOT MY FRIEND!!! (tongue out again)
Me: Okay

Milo then turned his head and as much of his body away from me as humanly possible strapped down in his car seat. He said nothing to me until we got to school when he asked for Floppy back. Whenever I attempted to talk to him, he turned his head and threw up his hands. The silent treatment! Who knew that a three year old would have this in his arsenal?

I dropped him off and he begrudgingly gave me a kiss, no smile broke his face. I got to work and I relayed my story to my coworkers, and one of them sent me Milo's horoscope as follows...

Aquarius - October 10, 2008
Don't hesitate to speak up for what is right, dear Aquarius. Even if it means confronting someone with power, so be it. The slightest injustice cannot be tolerated. When you voice your opinion, as you feel compelled to do, it makes others respect you. This has been a long time coming, and it does you a tremendous amount of good!

So that explains it all. The stars have aligned today for Milo and not for me. A long time coming, I am sure, he has had to live a life of absolute oppression with an ogre of a mother. And I would say that refusing to return home to retrieve pictures of Transformers absolutely does qualify as "the slightest injustice." Poor Milo. Poor poor Milo. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.