Did you just hit me?

Carter just hit me for the first time.

Actually, let me clarify. Carter just hit me for the first time with malice aforethought (see mom, I just used my law degree!)

When he's hit me in the past it's always been in the "I'm two and I'm mad and I don't know how to express this" kind of way. The temper tantrum gone awry scenario.

This was different. This was intentional. This was the "I'm two and I'm mad and I know EXACTLY what I'm doing" kind of way. The deliberate action scenario.

This is what happened: Grant was playing with a balloon (his birthday balloon to be exact) and Carter decided that was actually something he should be playing with instead. He grabbed it away. I took it back and told him it was Grant's turn and Carter could have it in a minute (please remember this is Grant's balloon and now he has to stand in line to play with it...second child.)

I turned my back to Carter and gave Grant the balloon...that's when it hit. The slap heard round the kitchen.

The worst part about it was that it wasn't an immediate reaction. He paused, therefore he thought about it...premeditation. (God, I should be billing these hours huh?) First degree smack-a-cide. A crime punishable by a time out. But not just any time out...solitary. He got locked in his room.

Now, my first thought was "Great. He's gonna run around hitting people now. My kid's a psychopath." Probably a normal mother reaction. But my second though was "He waited until my back was turned. He sucker punched me...my kid's a wuss!" That's a more me reaction.

I guess we'll have to wait and see which one he is. I'm relatively sure that he can't turn out to be both. I don't many wussy psychopaths.

Of course there is the third option of he's two and he's testing his limits...but that would be the rational way to think about the situation. And I don't think I've ever been accused of possessing that trait...