I'm Not Misbehaving

Two girls, one 8, one 3. The 8 year old just can't get enough of backtalking these days. You know the kind of lovely words. I say, "Hadley you need to go brush your teeth for school." She says, "I don't want to." I say, "I didn't ask if you wanted to, it's time for school and you need to brush your teeth." She says, "I don't want to." This continues until we are in a full fledge fight of course we me having to win because I'm the mom and her being mad because she had to brush her teeth. So, this particular morning as I am rushing around to get the three of us out of the house and off to school and work a similar scenario begins. It starts like the tooth brushing scenario she doesn't want to brush her hair this time and so it begins.... "Let's get your hair brushed." I say. "I've already brushed." Hadley replies. "Well, let's brush it some more." wait for it... "I don't want to." She pronounces it boldly. "Hadley, just do it, we don't have time to argue. Brush your hair or I will. You can't go to school with bedhead." I reply. No movement. I go get the brush and a hairband(she hates to wear her hair up). I start brushing her hair and she pulls away and I spank her. My three-year old Clara chimes in..."Mommy, I am not misbehaving." It was the sweetest, most innocent voice you have ever heard. At the same time it was the most condescending statement towards her sister. She was all but waving her hands in the air and jumping up and down to say, "HEY LOOK HERE! I'm the good sister!" Well, I have laughed about that sweet, innocent, condescending statement several times but at the same time it has made me think how often I pass judgement on others when they are "misbehaving" and I think I am not. It is so easy for us to point the finger at someone else but not to see what we are doing wrong ourselves. Jesus tells us many times in his parables of the perils of judgement. He talks of being the first to throw a stone. He talks of the leaders judging him for healing on the Sabbath. We are not to judge, we are not to point fingers, and we are not to talk of what others are doing wrong in their lives. Its very easy to say "I'm not misbehaving" to make ourselves look better but is that really the trusth?