Okay, it's a given that Walter is a bit spoiled. I mean, he's got a blog for Christ's sake! But last night he pushed it a bit too far.
Walter's life is a series of rituals. As is ours to a certain extent.
During the week we get up at 4am so that we can fit in work and exercise each day. This means that Walter usually is eating breakfast by 4:15 or so. During the weekend if we’re not off racing somewhere we’ll “sleep in” until 6 or 6:30am. Kitty and I have been woken up on any number of occasions by Walter who is basically saying. “Hello! It’s 5:30am and I should have had breakfast over an hour ago!”
Another ritual is that after I feed him his breakfast I make myself a bowl of shredded wheat. Notice the order… Ritual demands that I give him a piece and also leave a piece by Kitty’s espresso machine so she can do the same.
When I make my salad for lunch all is quiet until you know who hears me open the tupperwear. “Hello! Hurry up and cut that chicken so I can have my piece!”
Crack open a banana… “Here I am Dad!”
Do you see a pattern here?
Come dinner time we feed Walter (first of course…) and then make our dinner. When we cook our dinner we also cook a couple of pieces of chicken for our lunch the next day. Part of the ritual is that AFTER we eat our dinner, we put the chicken in tupperwear and Walter gets to clean the plate.
Lately he has gotten somewhat impatient. Lately he wants his plate NOW! Last night as we were sitting down to dinner and messing with the TV he started whining. We knew what he wanted and told him to be quiet. This did not work. After several iterations, each being more stern than the last it was time for action. I got up, took him to our bedroom, got him inside, closed the door and went back to dinner and our DVD.
The Walter who was patiently waiting for me in the bedroom (lying on his bed and blanket of course) was certainly one whose world had been rocked. I think that if he had a cell phone he would have called child services because he certainly felt that was as strong a case of child abuse as anybody had ever heard of. But he was somewhat humbled and less demanding after that.
We’ll see what happens tonight…
Crack open a banana… “Here I am Dad!”
Do you see a pattern here?
Come dinner time we feed Walter (first of course…) and then make our dinner. When we cook our dinner we also cook a couple of pieces of chicken for our lunch the next day. Part of the ritual is that AFTER we eat our dinner, we put the chicken in tupperwear and Walter gets to clean the plate.
Lately he has gotten somewhat impatient. Lately he wants his plate NOW! Last night as we were sitting down to dinner and messing with the TV he started whining. We knew what he wanted and told him to be quiet. This did not work. After several iterations, each being more stern than the last it was time for action. I got up, took him to our bedroom, got him inside, closed the door and went back to dinner and our DVD.
The Walter who was patiently waiting for me in the bedroom (lying on his bed and blanket of course) was certainly one whose world had been rocked. I think that if he had a cell phone he would have called child services because he certainly felt that was as strong a case of child abuse as anybody had ever heard of. But he was somewhat humbled and less demanding after that.
We’ll see what happens tonight…
