but I love you! *squish*

Today Eli was trying to show Anna that he loved her by giving her a huge bear hug. Much to Eli's consternation, Anna didn't appreciate this and tried to push him off. This made Eli upset, who then - to prove his deep devotion to his sister who obviously didn't understand what he was trying to do - proceeded to lay on top of her and smother her with affection. This all ended with me having to break up a fight with the warning to Eli that if he didn't stop trying to hug his sister that he would get a spank! Would a mother really spank her child for hugging their sibling? Sometimes I wonder about the words that come out of my mouth. I say them without thinking. I think them without questioning if its what I really mean. Some days I just go on auto pilot and don't stop to consider what the impact of the words I'm saying might really be. Eli's response to my threat was "but if I stop hugging her, I'll stop loving her!" So sweet, so innocent, so confused. I'm glad we took the time to talk about what I really meant this time before I carried through out of frustration.