Originally published at American Family. Please leave any comments there.

Last night, I asked M to stop reading and go brush her teeth.

She ignored me.

I asked her again, a little louder.

She didn’t acknowledge me in any way.

I told her to brush her teeth with a bit of a sharp, loud voice.

She just turned her page and kept reading.

Finally, I yelled “M!  I told you to go brush your teeth!  When Mommy asks you to do something, you have to do it!”

M slammed her book shut, jumped up, stomped her foot, glared at me and yelled:
“I *HEARD* you!  I didn’t want to listen!   And when you talk like that, that is why we say 

You! 

Are! 

A!

YELLER!!!!!!!!!!”

I can see that five years-old is going to be a lot like 15 years-old in some ways.  The apple doesn’t fall far from the yeller tree.