Monday, June 4, 2007

If the Punishment Should Fit the Crime

What the hell do I do about the fact that my 4 year old son peed on his sister last night.

Not that I necessarily believe that all punishments should fit the crime and not that I'm trying to get in to a big political debate here this just happened to be something that ran through my head last night after the whole event went down.

It was just before bath time and I told the kids to go take off their clothes and I'd be in momentarily to help them with their bath.

Shortly thereafter, J comes down the hall in to the kitchen where I'm sweeping and I can see that her t-shirt is soaked.

"B, peed on me" she says through tears.

"He what?" I asked in disbelief.

Disgusted I went back in the bathroom with her to confront the little urine spraying bandit.

There he stood just finishing up , pants down at the pot and told me "Mommy, I didn't do it"

Besides the obvious factors that ratted him out, I'd seen him pee in the pool the day before and pee in the grass that very morning. So I knew he saw it as a toy and was pleased that with proper aim he could get that stuff to go just about anywhere he wanted it to.

I proceded to tell him how utterly disgusting that was and how disappointed I was but then I had to rack my brain to think of what else I could do to emphasize the severity of the situation.

Usually taking a related privilege away works fairly well with him. For instance if he can't play nice with a particular toy then that toy gets taken away. But, yeah, I guess thats really not an option. (Oh how I miss the days when he was a baby - before he knew the "powers" of his penis)

Thats when my mind wondered to the punishment fitting the crime disciplinary method and I almost wanted to laugh.

Probably not appropriate in this situation.

Yeah lets save the kid from years and years of therapy.

So as much as his sister probably would have liked to have peed right back on him she was happy enough to tell him she was angry, hear him apologize and then B was sent to his room 1 hour earlier than his normal bedtime, without a story and was immediately to go to bed.

Yes, I think that made for a much better solution.

18 comments:

Jennifer said...

Sheesh BOYS! Why must they mark their territories!!

Very mature punishment. It probably did save your kids years of therapy!

Whiskeymarie said...

Anything I could say here would be inappropriate.
(big, sheepish smile on my face right now...)

Stacey said...

Aah dear, Whiskey now you've piqued my curiousity.

...Although I'm sure I can imagine some of the things that are running through your head now ;)

Cherann said...

Hmmmm...so he's grabbing at your boobies and peeing on his sister. Are you sure he's not a teenager yet?

Life As I Know It said...

yep, only a BOY would do that!

Too funny...although it probably wasn't at the time ;)

~Jennifer said...

Boys are endlessly amused by their special equipment, and it just gets better and better. ;-)

Butrfly Garden said...

Okay, dear Worker Mommy, I will admit to you in your time of *need* one of my most traumatic experiences:

My brothers peed on me.

They stood on their dressers and called me in to their room. When I walked in and looked up, they peed on me.

I was three or four, so I remember it very strangely (like, cartoonish dimensions, idk, being like two feet tall or whatever and looking up to that.). They were then probably 5/6 and 2/3.

Again, that was only ONE of the utterly traumatizing things they did to me, but one of the worst.

Anonymous said...

I agree, you did the right thing.
But a pee fight would have made for interesting blogging..yes?

Rice said...

Your blog always makes me laugh.

A dog peed on my foot a few nights
but somehow that is just not the same thing.

Stacey said...

Aah, Butrfly I'm sorry that happened - I can imagine how traumatic that was ! J sure didn't like it either!!

Little boys , Good lord! As far as I'm concerned that will never happen in my household again.
Hope your brothers got a fitting punishment!


Rice - Thanks, no not exactly the same but still quite amusing. Thanks for sharing.

Naarski (the Mrs.) said...

Omg! Maybe he decided to copycat the the Real World episode where Collie peed on Brooke's supposed jelly fish sting?

moosh in indy. said...

Besides, if he realized girls can't aim their pee he may have become even more proud of his "talent"

Stacey said...

So funny, Naar. Yes he probably is trying to copy Colie because he does watch a lot of Real World , that kid

VERY good point , Moosh !

Ally said...

As gross as it is, I can't blame him much (though I would have punished him as you did). I've always had a bit of penis envy... How cool to be able to point, aim, and spray things. Sigh.

Queen of the Mayhem said...

Don't even get me STARTED on boys and their "adventure tee-teeing"....me, I blame the daddies! :)

Shauna Loves Chocolate said...

Nice job, Mom!

Southern Fried Mom said...

Is it wrong that I'm giggling...or is it because I live in Testosterone World?!?! That is such a boy thing! You handled it so nicely. I'm sure after nearly 7 years as a boy's mom, I wouldn't have thought of anything so...mature.

Stacey said...

Thanks Southern Fried Mom, so glad you stopped in.
No, definitely not wrong that you're giggling. I'm laughing at it too...uhhh now.