Could be a con artist.

She's got skills.

Not only can she convince any person outside the home that is the most delightful little girl with the best manners, cutest smile, and happiest disposition but she can push boundaries so far past the line that I don't even know where they are anymore.

We've removed her door because we are replacing it with a prettier one. Mind you, I sold it before I had finished painting the new one so she is now door-less. Which wouldn't be a problem .. except that it is our only leverage. When she constantly leaves her room at night, we threaten to close the door and at times we have to follow through with the threat.


Now I'm not so stupid as to make an empty threat about a door that is not there, but I must say that I have no idea what other leverage I could use.

The first time she left her room after the removal of the door, she got caught and ran straight back to her room in tears (before I had even said a word!) and started crying "Leave the door open please". A second into her tear-filled rant she says "HEY! Where is my door? I don't like my door I want a white one"  (The new ones are white- old are oak  -yuck)

Then yesterday I told her. "If you do not stay in your room then Mommy is going to take your dinosaur away"

"Ok Mommy, here is my dinosaur" She hands it to me with an equally firm stare.

1 Point Melina, 0 point Mommy.

Always ten steps ahead of me. If she does something wrong she places herself in time-outs and even goes as far to play up a very dramatic crying fit which of course is entirely fake and she stops when she removes herself from her fake timeout.

I've come to the realization that discipline is not at all effective for her. She rebels and it is just one big power struggle. To which 99% of the time I lose.

If I reason with her or "guide" her (a.k.a- if she gets her way) Things go smoothly.
So if she wants to hit, I have to tell her what she is allowed to hit.
If she wants to yell, I have to tell her where it is okay to yell.
If she doesn't want to share, I have to tell her where she needs to play to have alone time.

I guess I should be proud that she stands her ground. Goes after what she wants and has a backbone but it's not fun when I am the one in the power struggle.