The Power of Pizza

Pizza - peet-suh –noun
* a flat, open-faced baked pie of Italian origin, consisting of a thin layer of bread dough topped with spiced tomato sauce and cheese, often garnished with anchovies, sausage slices, mushrooms, etc

Sas*sy [sas-ee] –adjective * fresh, impertinent, impudent, overbold, saucy

And no, I am not talking about the *saucy* you put on a pizza pie.

I am talking about this little angelic looking child.

See this face, this is the face of one very sassy little girl. Lately she has been full of spitfire.

She is nine going on 19. She has decided of late to push the envelope, to test those of us ‘in charge’.

Yesterday I got a call from her teacher. She dared her teacher ‘to call my Mother’ after the first time she was given the chance to make a ‘good’ choice.

Her crime? Dancing in the middle of the classroom.

On the third chance Mrs. Andrade had no choice but to call.

My heart stopped when I glanced at my cell phone lighting up on my desk….and recognized the phone number as the school’s phone number.

“Hello” I answer [dreading the words I might hear next]

“Hello Mrs. Hintz, this is Mrs. Andrade. I am sorry to bother you at work, but Emma Sage has been given three chances to make a good choice and she knew that if she did not do that, I had to call you [as you know if I use it as a consequence I have to follow through"  [I so love this teacher]

I ask "what is her crime?"
“She is dancing in the middle of the classroom and will not come over to her desk to go to the next task at hand” Mrs. Andrade continues

[now mind you, this is all new to me. My older three never, ever got into trouble at school. They were the children that teachers raved about as always listening and doing as they were told]……My Katrina actually told me last night as I was telling her the story that she would have been petrified at the thought of her teacher having to call me to report bad behavior]

And here is little Miss Emma Sage daring her teacher to*call my Mother*.

Yikes [can I get a prescription for Valium?]
My little imp gets on the phone….bright and cheerful is her voice.

“Hi Mommy. I love you.” she joyfully says

Sigh, now I have to be the mean one.

“Emma Sage, you need to make a good choice and stop dancing in the middle of the classroom and get back to your work. I am very sad that your teacher had to call me.” I say.

“Katrina say’s I’m a good girl”. is her response.......an indication to me that she is dismissing me and not listening to what I am saying.

“You are a good girl; you just need to listen to your teacher right now!!!!”  I continue, hoping she listens to me.

“OK Mommy, bye” she says.

Mrs. Andrade gets back on and says “Thank you”

I respond “I am so sorry; I will have a stern talking with her tonight”

Ugh.

I get off the phone and call Katrina and tell her under no circumstance are you to get her the treat you promised her today ‘a strawberry smoothie’ and I asked her and Greta to both have a ‘heart-to-heart’ talk with this sassy little imp.

When I got home, I got a big hug and a ‘I am sorry’

I sat her down and pulled out the big guns.

“If you do not behave tomorrow, we will NOT be having Friday Pizza Night”

“I will be good Mommy” she says, as sweet as can be.

[and I would be lying if I also didn’t mention that I also very sternly told her if the teacher EVER has to call me again about negative behavior, she will never, ever have pizza again ~lol…you know I’m joking about the pizza]

You can imagine the feeling I had this morning when that cell phone of mine started ringing from the school.

“Sugar” I thought [yes, I candy-coated that thought]

“Hello” I hesitantly say.

“Good morning Mrs. Hintz, it is Colleen Andrade. How are you today?”

I pause, thinking to myself [well I don’t know, but I guess I will after I hear what you have to say?!?]

“Good, thank you…..and you?” [Dear Lord, please let it be good news]

“I am wonderful and Emma Sage is having a fantastic day……I don’t know what you said to her, but she is back to her typical, happy, complacent self!” she continues “I told her I was going to call you to tell you how well she is doing, listening, making good choices.

I laugh [and sigh a deep, deep sigh]….”Oh thank goodness……I told her that she was not going to have pizza tonight if she did not listen in school "


“Well, it is working wonderfully!” she replies.

“I am so thankful and I thank you for all your patience. Have a great weekend” I reply

Hanging up the phone I sigh and I realize the ‘Power of Pizza’

Momma has a new gun in the arsenal……......a cheesy, saucy, doughy, delicious treat ~ Pizza!