Paybacks

So, I have been having great sympathy for my parents lately. Eliana is reading chapter books, and she REALLY gets into them. Last night she was reading on the couch before and after dinner, and every time I said something to her, I had to repeat it three times before she responded, sometimes threatening to take her book away. (I know, my mom is smiling right now) At dinner, she barely participated in the conversation, and as soon as she had eaten the bare minimum requirement, she left the table to go back to her book. We had to call her back three times before she came to clear her place, and I eventually had to confiscate her book before she would do an acceptable job. Then she stomped and stormed her way through the job. Steven finally told her she couldn't have her book back until she changed her attitude. He modified that to her smiling. And after a twenty minute battle of wills between the two of them and a number of tears on her part, she finally managed a smile to earn her book back. We're such harsh taskmasters. It brought back some uncomfortable memories of being on the other side of this situation. So all I have to say is, yes Mom, this is paybacks!