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It was like that.
And I had my back turned towards the table where my three kids were eating breakfast and I was scrubbing dishes. I glance over and my three year old has her entire hand sunk into her cup of milk. As if in slow motion she pulls her hand out of the cup and combs her milk-dripping fingers through her hair.
"Noooooooo!"
The proverbial camel's back was broken.
"That's it!" I scolded.
"You can only use sippy cups now! You are not ready for big-girl cups!" I declare as I clean up the mess.
Then I look around the table at the six stunned eyes staring at me in disbelief. Now they are silent. Why are they surprised that I am upset??
"Mom," Big brother offers an explanation.
"Mom, she was just trying to be like Princess Anna in Frozen. You know how she has a white streak in her hair? She wants to be like that."
And now there are two puddles at the table: the milk and my heart.
So next time I will ask what they are trying to do. If I ask, I think they will tell me, and we can skip the tears and go straight to the smiles.