I am very sorry momma.

Allison is almost five and as the months have ticked by she has become quite articulate.  She has an explanation for every transgression against the rules.  She tries to gain just a few more seconds after receiving her directions by filling the silence with chatter, all the while ignoring the icy mom stare I am giving her.  Her talking has gotten her into trouble at school and at home.  Well, now she has upped the ante.
Last night after their shower Jack was on the potty and Allison was given her direction to go get her jammies on.  She really wanted to cheer her brother on his quest to put his pee pee in the potty, so proceeded to avoid eye contact and continue to encourage her brother.  I made direct eye contact with her and gave her the instruction again, with the stern warning of "Last chance".  She complied and as I turned around I saw something out of the corner of my eye.  There she was all sassy and defiant with her tongue stuck out at me.  Once spotted she immediately straightened up and ran to her room.  It was obvious that I was not supposed to see this, but too late.
I was stifling the giggles but knowing what this really meant from my preschooler, I called Daddy reinforcements to have a discussion with her about respect.  When Allison gets in trouble she is devastated which makes me wonder why she makes the choices in the first place.  She takes some consoling to calm down and is very sensitive about letting anyone down.  She is a very sweet girl with a gentle soul.  She came to me bearing a note she had written and a picture:

Allison spoke with tears streaming down her face saying, "I love you momma, and I am sorry I hurt your heart.  Please forgive me.  I drew a picture of me with a sad face and crying because I am heartbroken that I made you sad."
Hugs and kisses made the tears go away and she learned a little lesson about respecting her parents, hopefully.