If you give a 3 year old a wallet...

Ever heard of the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie or the other titles in the series? If you have a preschooler chances are you have. While the stories are cute I must confess that when the story happens to you it is well, just plain f-r-u-s-t-r-a-t-i-n-g, make that F-R-U-S-T-R-A-T-I-N-G!!! Wondering what happened? Well it started out like this...Codey gave Christian, who is 3 (almost 4 but still 3) an old wallet that he no longer uses. At first I thought what a kind gesture. It wasn't torn and mangeled in any way and was a "cool" camo print. It even came with $1 and a (used but we won't tell him that) Target gift card with $3 remaining on it. Something a 3 year old would love to get from his BIG brother that he so addimently looks up to. He has been carrying it around for 2 days now even though we haven't been anywhere. Well, the "If You Give a 3 Year Old a Wallet" story goes like this...

If you give a three year old a wallet he will carry it around for 2 days. After 2 days Daddy will bring home 5 chocolate iced with sprinkle doughnuts for the kiddos to eat the next morning. The next morning every child will get 1 doughnut to eat. That's right 1 doughnut since there are 5 kiddos and 5 doughnuts. Chances are if you bring home doughnuts the kiddos are going to want more than just one. Chances also are that if there are just enough doughnuts to go around that something is definetly going to happen where someone, probably the one that sleeps in late is not going to get a doughnut. So, as I went to the other room to go get dressed for the day, Christian, who had already had his doughnut, thought he would quickly help himself to another doughnut. As mom (that's me!) comes out of the bedroom everything seems normal. Everyone is getting along well doing what they should be doing. Did I mention that Codey, the one that gave the wallet to Christian, was the one sleeping in? Fast forward 10 minutes and ta-dah, Codey is awake and yep, you guessed it, he wants his doughnut but there are no doughnuts in the box. Go through the list of kiddos that could have taken the doughnut and there could only be one with that "It wasn't me" look on his face. After 5 minutes, 1 lie, 1 swat, and 1 final confession Christian fessed up that it was him who ate the doughnut. Now, what to do? Codey still doesn't have a doughnut. Mom-Idea!!! Christian will buy Codey a doughnut with the $1 in his wallet that he has been wanting to go spend for 2 days. So, get 4 kids dressed in cold weather clothing and head out the door and make sure Christian has his wallet, but wait. Christian decides that it is too cold to wear the shorts that Momma told him not to wear in the first place. So, 3 kiddos loading up in the car while Christian takes off tennis shoes (did i mention they were high-tops?) to change into jeans and then puts back on boots, that's right now he had to wear his boots that we had to find because now he had on jeans. Get Christian out of the house and going to the car while I get my purse and head out with him meanwhile Christian is now chasing the cat on the opposite side of the house as the car. Finally get Chrsitian in the car and buckled up and now we are headed down the road to the bakery to buy Codey his doughnut that Christian ate. Three miles down the road Christian asks "Where is my wallet?" Momma "You don't have your wallet?" Christian "No!" Momma "Codey, check Christian's pockets" Codey "No, no wallet". Turn around and go back to the house to get the wallet because Momma can't prove a point without Christian paying for the doughnut with the $1 that came with the wallet. Have Codey go inside where Christian was sitting to get the wallet but, you guessed it again, the wallet is not there. Tell Codey again to go check Christian's pockets while I look around outside the house where Christian was looking for the cat. Nope, not there but it is camo right so it may blend in with the leaves a little...yippee! Codey says the wallet is not in Christian's pockets. Look a little harder then go back inside to look again. Finally, after 15 minutes, decide to go back to the car to ask Christian yet again where he might have put the wallet. Feel around in his car seat and...ta-dah! The wallet is in his pocket. YEP, it was in his pocket THE ENTIRE TIME!!! Did I mention that I was a little FRUSTRATED?! Still, I have to teach a lesson here and prove a point. Even though by this time I'm sure that they have all forgotten what the point was because by now the point was just to find the wallet. So, head back out of the driveway to the bakery and Christian buys Codey a doughnut just like the one he ate with the $1 that came in the wallet that Codey gave him, which took all of 60 seconds, then we head back home. Now everyone had a doughnut this morning and noone was left out. Christian learned a lesson about taking something that was not his without asking and about lying and Momma had a lesson in patience. I am not really sure any of them learned any lessons as long as it took to prove the point but, I do know that I learned a lesson in patience. So, if you give a 3 year old a wallet...there is no telling what will happen!!