All she did was shrug.

This morning, Ella wouldn't do what I asked her to do. It's one of the first times, I've had to count all the way to three. When I got to it, "1....2.................3!", a dead silence hung in the air. I was thinking, "Well, now what do I do?" Seriously, it was amazing how well counting used to work to get her to do what I needed her to do. But now, that's gone. Now, I'm busted because she knows that I don't have any grand plan for "3". So, I said, (and at least this is better than the time I told her she was getting three demerits, because what the heck are demerits in this household?) "You will lose a gold star." (We have this gold star accumulation thing where if she gets 50 she's eligible for "Ella Appreciation Week".) Nothing. I said, "OK, what needs to go to toy jail?" (Because that's our other fool-proof method.) She just turned around, looked at me, and shrugged.

Like I imagine the teenage version of Ella will do.

But she's only 6.

I thought of grounding her. Really, I did. But just as quickly I realized that she doesn't really go anywhere. So what would grounding do? I threaten to take away her media privileges, but... actually, I think I forgot to use that one this morning. Maybe that would have worked. So, I'm realizing that I need to fill my quiver up with some new arrows. (Now, I know some of you are thinking that using a weapons analogy is horrid, but... really, love is a battlefield.)

It makes me think of Christopher Columbus. How to deal with a 6 year old who has had the life experience of sailing her little Santa Maria right on past hearing her mother get to 3 and learning that she doesn't drop off the side of the flat-as-a-pancake earth?