worst night ever

I contemplated not writing this because, obviously, nothing that could happen in my house could be the worst night ever.  Nothing here could compare to runners mourning across the country for a lost event that they loved, victims in the hospital with lives forever changed.  But, in a 4 year old's mind, she doesn't know about any of that.  She only knows that she wore a shirt from the one and only race that she has run in and we said a prayer for people who were hurt in a fire.

In her world, tonight was the worst night of her life.  I know because she told me on numerous occasions.  At her daycare, her teacher has a 3 strike system to earn a sticker by the end of the day.  A. loves sticker charts so it is fabulously effective tool.  Typically... However, for the past 2 days, she has gotten all 3 strikes and no sticker.  Yesterday, B. and I told her that we understand everyone has a bad day and the important thing is to try harder and to show everyone the next day that she is a fun and polite girl that everyone wants to be around.  If not, she would be punished and have to go to bed early.  (we chose this because she said she was having such a hard time because she is tired.)  Well, it happened again.  So, once she told me that she again got 3 strikes, for the oh so dramatic problems such as pushing in the bathroom line and trying to get other people into trouble, 2 for the same things she got into trouble for yesterday, we had to follow through.  Well, the punishment was 5 x worse because Emily and her "bestest friend ever" were here.  It meant that the boys would get to stay up later than her.  It meant that today was the worst day ever.  LOUD SIGH.

She spent the first 45 minutes crying and begging for it not to happen until we finally distracted her.     Then, she had a blast outside with the boys and we had a picnic dinner.  I guess nothing could make up for the early bed time approaching because after bath when I told her it was time for bed, she FREAKED out.  Meanwhile, it was actually 15 minutes past her typical bed time.  But, the boys got to read stories in the other room while she had to be by herself.  She said, "punishment is sooo hard."  She cried and begged for hugs and kisses from the boys.  She said, "This is the worst night of my life."  She tried to convince me that it wasn't fair because both of the boys had been in time out and they still got to be together.  I went from a breaking heart to wanting to bang my head against the wall to laughing to a breaking heart again.  It's so hard to be 4. But, I pray that this remains the worst night of her life for a loooonnnnngggg time.  I pray that she doesn't have to face tragedy.  Most of all, I pray for the families of those that have way more to consider than early bed times.