Too Stubborn

My older son, R., is too much like me. He gets a vision of what he wants and then he will not be deterred from his vision.  So when we had the idea of saving a few pine needles from our Christmas tree in a little box he went on a 20 minutes search.  That meant we couldn't read before we went to bed (we're on the last chapters of Harry Potter). I kept offering him boxes. Finally I realized that the box he wanted was a silver jewelry box my brother and sister-in-law gave me when they got married.  But I couldn't give him that one, so I found a box with a bird on it that was very nice.  Then he wanted to tape the pine needles in a certain way. More tears, more yelling. 

When I tucked him into bed, I told him that he is just like me, he has visions of what he wants and no one can stop him.  I told him we were bound to butt heads that way, just like two goats. He didn't quite get that one.  I later realized that he had taken a velvet board I have for my beading for his hovercraft for his birds. It seems he had created a hovercraft (a box with lights in it), for six of his stuffed birds.  When he again became teary-eyed at me disturbing their hovercraft nest, I told him he could keep it but then I was so annoyed that I slammed the box down and disturbed the hovercraft. So I had to apologize all over again and tell him he could keep the darned thing.

Sometimes I feel like nothing is sacred in our house.  The kids feel like the can take anything - anything is up for grabs. I'll see the turkey baster in the bathroom, the timer will be next to the bed.  It makes me crazy.

But it's good to keep in mind that the reason that R. and I get so mad at each other is he's just like me.  When I get mad at him, I'm really getting mad at myself. Hmmm.