Guilt

Children have this unique way of making you feel guilty, even when you know you shouldn't really.

Today Joe played with his duplo. When it came to tidy up time he wasn't interested, informed me he would not tidy it all up because it would "just take far too long". I told him that if he got on with it we would be able to play a game together, perhaps the Lego Build A Robot game they love sooooo much you wouldn't believe. Something like 3 hours later he had been sent to tidy up the duplo so many times I lost count and there was no way games were going to happen. Family life carried on, Matthew came to his little brother's rescue and helped with the tidying (it's been very much a angel or devil day for Matthew today with no middle ground!), we ate tea, gave Skott a lift into town and then it was bedtime.

Joe has just woken up. I retrieved Joe from the stairs and gave him a very sleepy cuddle while I calmed his tears and asked him what was the matter. Apparently it is my fault. Over and over again he was telling me, "we didn't play the game mummy, we were going to play the game". Turns out, Joe's misbehaving and not getting his game is obviously playing on his mind so much he has had some kind of dream wake him up distraught that it didn't happen! He did say we had to get up and play it now because I'd said we would play today so tomorrow is not good enough, but thankfully he then fell  straight back to sleep leaving me to feel guilty for not giving in but actually following through with the warned consequences of not doing as you are told ....!