just, or just naughty?

One of my favorite things about being an Aunt is the fact that I get to hear all sorts of hilarious stories about the happenings of the kids' lives without actually having to deal with them. Yesterday evening, my sister called with a story I just had to share with the blog-o-sphere. If you'll remember from this post, Kayla is the niece of mine who is the mastermind behind all sorts of nefarious schemes. She's the same kid who one time convinced my sister she was out of lunch money and then proceed treat the check like cash and attempt buy something else with it. The same kid who once packed all of her clothes and toys and said she wanted to be taken to the orphanage. And the same kid who, on multiple occasions, has gone missing and been found wandering around the neighborhood unrestrained. You get the idea?

But, she's the youngest of three girls, so can you blame her? As many of my family members can contest, she has two very clever, smart and strong-willed sisters who know how to bully her and push her buttons. So, for her whole life she's been competing with them and been forced to learn ways to get what she wants-- or else, suffer through it. Natural selection at its finest. I'm no biology major, but scientifically she's bound to develop some strategies and techniques of her own in order to survive, right?

So, the other night, after allegedly being publicly humiliated by her older sister Claire (and I say publicly because apparently there was a non family member present during the humiliation), Kayla put her thinking cap on and set out for retaliation. Now, just so you know-- Kayla intends to pursue a career in the science field and frequently conducts her own 'experiments'. Like any scientist, she is driven by curiosity and intrigue and simply wanted to see if she could create her own variety of face soap. Personally, I don't see anything wrong with this. After all, the education of a scientist comes not from formal education but from experience and trying to see, "what would happen if..."

The guinea pig of her concoction? You guessed it: Claire bear. So, she dumped out the entirety of Claire's brand new bottle of face soap and proceeded to fill it with a lot of things that don't typically belong in your typical face soap bottle. Such as conditioner, body lotion, and another unidentified substance that gave the finished product a thin, liquidy quality. "Hopefully water," my sister said. HA! I wouldn't count on that.

Anyway, so then she waited. And waited. I can't imagine the willpower! This must have been hard, especially for an almost-8-year-old. She didn't utter a word until the next time Claire went to wash her face. Can you imagine the thoughts running through her mind when Claire finally made a move toward the bathroom? As expected, Claire commented afterward that her face soap didn't feel quite right. In fact, it actually stung her face. After some speculations and accusations, Kayla admitted to the crime. She had indeed disposed of Claire's face soap and created her own version. Her only response? Payback.

So, Internet, tell me-- was little Kayla justified in her actions, or were her actions just plain naughty?