The "Big Gun"

I remember from when I was a kid that there was a tone that my father used, where I knew he was mad and wasn't fooling around. Having two boys I figured that I better get working on my tone (aka. the "big gun"). I have been experimenting with the "Big Gun" with my 2.5 year old and it wasn't working out too well. He would get into the refridgerator and ask for milk just before bedtime and I would attempt to fire the "big gun" to say no, and I wasn't really hitting the mark since he would just leave the fridge door open and just stare at the milk or start to cry. Now granted it was just a glass of milk and not like he was about to run out into traffic so I guess the "big gun" was not really necessary, but like I said I was just trying it out.

His latest game with Jenny and I is to put things into his mouth like lint, dirt, or whatever he can find on the floor. Nothing that would hurt him, just stuff he shouldn't have in there. The game is when Jenny and I attempt to get the item out of his mouth. He takes great pleasure in having Jenny and I say "open", chase him down, and try to pry his mouth open to get the item out. Jenny is braver than I am since she will actually put her finger inbetween his teeth for the object and get bit. I won't go that far since the bite pressure of a 2.5 year old has to be the same as a great white shark (or at least it feels that way).

So along comes Sunday... I am out in the cold garage trying to organize our crap from the move, I have been up since 6:00am because of the 2.5 year old, Jenny had just done something to annoy me, and I am fighting a sinus infection, so needless to say I am not in a good mood. Jenny comes out to the garage and informs me that he has something in his mouth... again. That's it!! Time for the "BIG GUN"!! I walk into the house, slam the door, and say "OPEN"!!! The house falls quiet, he opens his mouth and spits out the item (a piece of lint), and has a look on his face like "wtf?". I turned right around and went back out into the garage. I few minutes later I came back in and gave him a big hug and played with him a little bit. I know now that the "big gun" works, but hopefully I won't have to use it anymore, since I didn't like the way I felt when I was using it. I am going to try and find a happy medium to the "big gun"... maybe "big slingshot".