The Trouble With J

I told N and J today I'd take them to the park with the scooters an aunt got them for Christmas. They could use the scooters and K and I would follow along with the stroller. As I was loading everyone and everything into the car, I realized I still had some bank receipts and the dollar I got back when I made a business deposit earlier this week sitting in my day planner, and I wanted to bring the day planner along since it has a lot of phone numbers I might possibly need if I had an emergency of some sort. I didn't want the planner sitting in the car with the bank receipts, though, because I didn't want someone breaking into my car and getting the bank account number.

The banking stuff was kept in a clear plastic zipper pocket in the day planner. I went to open it and found it already opened. I put the deposit receipts into the stuff my husband will be returning to his office on Tuesday to assure the receipts get back to the office. I hunted around for the dollar in the pocket but could not find it. I thought,"Could I be wrong, and the deposit receipt with the dollar change has already been returned to the office?" I didn't think so because I could swear I noticed the dollar in the past couple days, and I was pretty sure I hadn't been to the office. I got the bank deposit receipts back out to be sure, and I saw the cash deposit receipt. We don't usually get paid in cash so there are very few deposit slips for cash. I was certain then that was the one with the dollar change. The dollar had a post it on it telling me which one of Mr. K's employees it belonged to since one of them had used his own dollar to make change for a customer.

I took my day planner out to the car and asked J if she had taken a dollar out of it. She looked me in the eye and told me she hadn't. I knew good and well that wasn't true since that's the kind of thing she'd do and no one else in the house would do, and after seeing the cash deposit receipt, I was 100 % sure that dollar had been there. I told her that wasn't my dollar, and it belonged to one of her daddy's employees, and I had to have it back. Where was it? She finally said she thought it was under her pillow.

I looked there, but didn't find it. I came back to the car and told her she'd have to find it when we got back from the park. I, perhaps wrongly, decided to go ahead with the trip to the park because I didn't want to disappoint N, who would never dream of stealing my money. We did use the scooters and strollers on the trails, but I refused to let them play on the playground. N's a little big for that playground so I didn't think he would mind much. J had a fit when I made her leave. She unbuckled herself, thrashed around, and took off her shoes and socks and threw a sock into the front seat before I was able to leave.

When we got home, I took her security blanket away and told her I wouldn't give it back until she got me that dollar. She finally found it in a drawer. I sent her to her room for two hours for throwing the fit at the park. I told her I didn't know how I was going to punish her for stealing and for lying. I HATE being lied to. I told her I'd like to take her security blanket away for a week and not let her come to our family New Year's Eve party, but I wasn't sure Daddy would agree to such a thing since he would not let me take N's security bunny away as punishment ever. I told her she was so naughty that Daddy and I would have to discuss how we would punished her.

Mr. K got home from working on our new rental house just before dark. It took us a quite a while to come up with a punishment we could both agree on. Before he did, we all went to Kroger. While we were there, J pulled me aside and showed me a Pretty Pony she wanted me to get her for her next birthday. It was obvious she just didn't get it.

When we got home from Kroger, Mr. K and I agreed on what to do with J, then we got together and told her what her punishment was. She has to give up the security blanket for one night (something he never would have agreed to with N, but then N understands when he's naughty). Mr. K has taken away for a week all the plastic horses he got her for her birthday and Christmas. Then she got to see the treats we were having for our New Year's Eve party, but she couldn't have any, and she can't have any of the leftovers tomorrow or ever.

She had to go to her bedroom at 8 p.m., when our party began. We had Boston Cream Pie, sparkling cider, Sprite, champagne, and barbeque potato chips. (I was going to make a spicy bean dip, but I was too stuffed from dinner.) Then N, Mr. K, and I played cards. We played "Kings In The Corner." J sat in her room, talking away to herself. I eavesdropped a little to hear she was talking about how badly she wanted to come to our party. We all felt bad because we missed her, but she had to remain in her room.

Our party ended at 9 p.m. Mr. K took the miniature bottle of champagne over to our neighbor, N went to his room to read a Hardy Boys book, we put K to bed and turned of K and J's light (they share a room).

I got on the computer, and in a few minutes, I'm going to shut it down and take a bath and shave my legs. We hope J is done being a thief and a liar. I want this nipped in the bud. As far as I know, it's the first time J's stolen money. I know she's stolen objects in the past (and lied), but we've never come down on her so hard. She's only five so I hope she's young enough to learn to behave better. If she does it again, I think Mr. K will be agreeable to pulling her security blanket for more than just one night.