It's A Race

When we get home, Kate races from the truck in an effort to make it inside the house before the garage door finishes closing. She came up with this little competition on her own one day. I forget about her compulsion some days and I push the garage button as I ask her to make sure to grab her backpack or wrappers that she has left in the truck before she goes inside but she is already gone, lickety-split, before I even finish my sentence. I get all irritated that she has run off and left me to pick up the pieces and then I remember.

One time I hollered out to her to stop and come back and get her things she left behind and she turned around all in a huff and complained, "Mom, you made me lose!"

Now if I were clever, I would just WAIT to push the garage door button, giving her plenty of time to grab her things before the race is on.