I really do love my second child

Seren.  Short for Serenity.  Otherwise known as Volatility.  Out of my 4 children, she requires the most attention.  So much attention, that a couple of weeks ago, my oldest asked me why I loved Seren more than the others. 

I knew this question was coming.  Doesn't every parent have to answer this question?  So, I answered, "Well, Evy, the Bible says that love covers a multitude of sins, so I have to love her more than the rest of you."  That didn't fly.  I explained further, "Evy, you know how, at school, there are handicapped children who need special help? Like the ones with wheel chairs or learning disabilities?"  Evy, "Yes." Me, "Well, those are children with 'special needs'.  Now, Seren doesn't have those kinds of disabilities, but she is disabled in a way where she thinks the world revolves around her and, therefore, she has 'special needs'."  By now, Evy was laughing hysterically. 

Special needs.  Yes, Seren has Special Needs.  Everything we do must be tailored to fit within Seren's Special Needs.  A wise passerby once said, as I was buckling my screaming children in the car, "A family is a dictatorship ruled by it's weakest member."  So true.  Usually, it would be Xander, and that is true to an extent.  But, I think Seren just allows him to reign for the time being because he's so cute.  She never fails to remind us that she is 2nd in command.  Which brings me to last night's Serenism.

Seren had been asked to clean up her bedroom floor, which wasn't very messy, and the request was met with two hours of tantrums from the 5 year old.  As promised, if the floor wasn't picked up within a certain period of time, a parent would come pick it up for her.   The rule is, if a parent has to pick it up, then whatever is on the floor only gets picked up once.  So, Mike brought in the garbage bag and picked up the floor of toys, laundry, blankets, and other cherished playthings that didn't get put away.  Seren was upset that her favorite blanket was part of the contents.  She tried to bargain with him, trying every trick she knew.  Finally, she decided to try her last resort.  She pulled out her money jar and dumped out all of the money she had: two quarters.  "Daddy, if I give you these two quarters, you'll pull my night-night out of that bag, right?"  If all else fails, try bribery on Daddy.  After all, it works with Seren, why not Daddy?

No, we are not throwing away her favorite blanket, but she did sleep through the night thinking that we have.  She'll have to earn it back.  Everything else is going to go though.