I read a woman's account of getting in trouble as a child and running away from home (only to discover after the first block that she really had nowhere to go). Frustrated, she returned home to further dejection since no one had even noticed her absence! I have my own childhood story and it has just occurred to me the "spark of genius" I had as a 4 year old! You see, every kid has the homefront encounter where they get scolded for some misbehavior. And your garden variety child will slink off, garnering "runaway" status but eventually figure out that the plan is flawed. They have no place to run to!
But, I was not your average 4 year old and when I was in the doghouse and feeling frustrated I tried a different approach. The story, as told by my Mother (because I don't remember it with much accuracy) was quite novel! Apparently I took a big brown shopping bag and filled it with some of my mother's things (her toothbrush, some clothes, a few snacks). Then, I took my mother by the hand and announced that I was going to take her to "The Mommy Trade Store" and switch her for another model. I must have been banking on the mother who didn't ever scold children!
My Mom played along and we got a block away from home when it hit me that I wasn't exactly sure how to get to this Mommy Trade Store. I felt certain there must be such a place but the location escaped me. So, with that glitch we had to return home and the tale gets recalled occasionally when my Mom likes to remind me of my precocious nature!
But, you have to admit that I was a tad more clever than the Runaway Children! They up and left the comforts of their home but I had a better plan! I would retain the nice environment that had been established and just eliminate "the problem" (in this case it was my Mother). Why should I suffer? Let the "mean one" be "traded in" for a sweet, unfailingly kind Mother! And, even though this plan didn't quite make it to fruition either, it does show some astute creativity in my approach to anger! Especially at the ripe old age of 4!
