A few days ago Genevieve and I had words…about poking the bulldog, Simone.

The setting….Genevieve was idly playing in the playroom as the afternoon sun shone brightly through the large front window. Simone, our one-and-a-half-year-old bulldog was lounging on the rug (instead of on the couch – an action that has been banned – and I was immensely proud that the dog was showing such good form in remembering this rule) in a patch of warm sunlight…minding her own business. Nap time was just around the corner and Genevieve, drowsy herself, flopped down beside Simone and began stroking her back. But the strokes soon became gentle nudges and then more forceful pokes until eventually G’s feet were involved. A gentle kneading motion with the soles of her feet directly into Simone’s side quickly became a kick…and suddenly all this nudging and poking and massaging with feet became too rough for my taste. (I was standing in the hall between the playroom and the kitchen observing this entire scene.) Time to intervene.

The action…My initial reprimand was quiet and controlled, but as I was ignored repeatedly, my voice grew louder (and, I admit, perhaps a bit shrill). Quickly I moved into action, firmly lifting G from underneath the arms and removing her from this particular venue. Simone, I noted, remained completely languid throughout the entire turn of events, despite the kicking to her bowels and the growling human mother forcefully rushing in. I was impressed with the animal’s calm, because she is just that – an animal –  and I shudder to think of the day when a human pushes the wrong button on that bulldog and she sees fit to let loose with her powerful jaws. The dog is well trained, but clearly it’s time my three year old learned a thing or two about respect for dogs.

The abrupt physical removal from her place in the sun, as she blissfully manhandled the dog, came as quite a shock to Princess Genevieve. The gall of the mother to get physical like that and worse still, to speak with that tone of voice. There would be hell to pay for treating the princess this way!

The Climax….Princess Genevieve uttered these words as she marched angrily to her bedroom:

“I will go to bed all by myself!” (Stomp, stomp, stomp up the stairs.)

“I’ll stay here in my room and won’t see anyone all day.” (Bedroom door is slammed. Great sobbing and gasping for air can be heard from within.)

(Yelling from behind the closed door….) “I will read to myself and NO ONE can read the exact words to me!”

(This last utterance is a low blow. Gigi specifically asks me to read the “exact words” of a story to her so she can memorize them and then “read” the book to herself at some future date. The princess was clearly putting an end to that practice!)

“I WILL LOVE ONLY MYSELF…IN MY ROOM…BY MYSELF…WITH MY DOLLS…WITHOUT YOU!!!!!”

The End…While Gigi licked her wounds in her room and then promptly fell asleep within 5 minutes of the outburst (I checked on her), I rushed to my bedroom office to jot down with pen and paper all that had just transpired. An altercation such as this, with a princess who once held me in such high esteem, always leaves me completely depleted of energy, so I too fell asleep, lulled by the gravelly snores of our mellow bull dog in the next room.