Is this punishing me or him?

On Saturday night, we went to the mall with friends. We met for supper and then were going to take the kids on a carousel ride. Aidan was really misbehaving at supper time and would not eat his supper and wanted to keep getting up to run around. We gave him 2 chances and told him that if he didn't sit down and eat his supper, there would be no carousel ride. Less than a minute later he is up and running again. Seemed like a hard punishment, but I had to take a privilege away. So the other kids got to ride the horses and Aidan had to stand there and watch. He handled it well and seemed to forget about it as soon as we walked away from the food court.

So I thought...

It started on the car ride home..."Mom, I forgot to go on the horsey ride!"I explain again that he didn't get a horsey ride because he didn't listen at supper time.

Then when we got home..."Mom, I did good listening now...I go horsey ride now?" "No, you lost that privilege.'

Surely by the next morning he would forget about it right? No dice.

I pry 1 eye open only to be greeted with "We go horsey ride now?" After breakfast, we ask Aidan what he would like to do today...you guessed it! HORSEY RIDE!

We never give in though! There will be no horsey ride for Aidan this Sunday morning! We take him sledding, we take him for a Slurpee...we have a great day together. He forgets all about the horsey ride...

until this morning...

I am again awoken to the desperate voice of my son "We go horsey ride now??"

So I have to go...I have a mall to get to...I can't stand this punishment any longer. Even if he hasn't learned a lesson, I surely have!