Naughty has entered the building.

Olivia is testing out Naughty. It goes like this: 1) Conceptualize the act (climb stairs, mount cat, pull everything out of the bottle drawer risking fingersmashing in the process) 2) Ensure that Mommy or Daddy is looking. Grin with anticipation. 3) Crawl at full speed toward target, chortling. 4) Invest all energy in finalizing the act, shrieking with delight as Mommy says "Olivia, noooo" and then removes Naughty Baby from target. 5) Start over again from removal landing point.

In this video, the victim is a poor miniature palm. It's been under double attack recently---from above by Bella who has confused it for a conveniently located place to relieve herself, and from below by Olivia who hopes to unroot it by yanking violently on its long, tempting leaves.

Sadly, my discipline techniques--laughing and videotaping--are not likely to win me any parenting awards. I laugh every time Olivia perpetrates something because I get such a kick out of her emergent chutzpah. My friend, Kristin, a mother of two "energetic" boys, asserted very emphatically over a wine lunch today that I really need to develop a better long-term discipline strategy, however, since giggling along with the Plant Bandit will not cultivate a respect for green life or potted things.