It’s been a rough several days, discipline-wise. The younger four have acted up at bedtime, school, daycare, church and/or with a sitter. It’s as if they make it through one and let it all out at another.

I praise Ry. for being a big helper with something-or-other in one breath, then he’s shoving Ri. and making him cry in the next. I praise Ri. for behaving nicely at dinner, then he pees his pants for no reason whatsoever. D. reads his little booklets for class (w/o complaining, for once) and then sticks his finger in his behind and puts it under someone else’s unsuspecting nose. J. acts like an amazing, helpful big brother one hour then gets caught doing something toddler-esque the next hour!

I don’t mean to single out A., but other than staying awake after bedtime (largely w/o incident, which is the HUGE difference b/w him and the rest), he is very seldom a problem. I may be setting myself up for disappointment, but I look at him at ages nine and ten and think to myself, “Ok – just make it five, six more years, tops – then things will settle down.” Then I laugh at my stupidity and realize that when the little ones are 10, the rest will be 12, 14 & 16!! Oi vey.