Dallins Theft

Dallin and I were at Kinkos Friday afternoon dropping off a project. We waited quite a bit, all the while Dallin asked if we could buy Air Heads...then it was Tic Tacs...then it was gum; you get the idea. I continued the "no...no...no candy...no Dallin" so many times he took things into his own hands. Distracted with my conversation with the Kinkos lady, I look down at Dallin only to see the outlines of a box of air heads on his chest beneath his shirt. I promptly explained that we do not put candy under our shirts and reiterated "no candy!"

A short while later, we go trotting out to the car. I load Thad and come around to clip the bottom of Dallin's car seat when he proudly pulls out a treasure from beneath his shirt: a pack of mentos. "Look mom!" he proudly says. I feel a teaching moment coming... And before the moment begins, I know this one will not be forgotten (flashbacks to my theft at Albertsons when I was 3/4...traumatic) so I proceed carefully.

Even though I had just spent six minutes lugging the boys and strapping them into the car, I pulled everyone out and we braved the rain back into Kinkos. Dallin put the mentos back on the shelf and we waited to get the Kinko lady's attention. She came over. I explained what had happened.

Me: "Dallin, say sorry. Dallin. Say sorry. Dallin...say sorry...."
Dallin: (whispered under breath, not making eye contact while holding my hand) "Sorry."
And then me holding back tears because he was slightly scared, and I believe understanding that he had done something really wrong prompt him again: "Say I won't do it again."
Dallin: (again whispered) "I won't do it again."

The lady was very nice and didn't say anything.

We walked outside and Dallin said to me "Mom, my eyes are stinging, my eyes are stinging." He was crying. We had a nice hug, I told him how proud I was of him, etc. It was a sweet moment. Though he was being reprimanded, my own tears were just below the surface as I watched my sweet three-year-old understand and feel sorry for his actions; I felt his sadness.

Ah, the moments with a three year old! I love this boy.