Only three sorts of behavior from my children get a quick and painful response: outright defiance, intentionally hurting others, and being intentionally destructive.

Spilling paint on the carpet could be a minor infraction, so long as it wasn’t done with destructive intent. By the same token, something as minor as spilled milk could be met with a frightening response if its intent was to harm someone else, or purposefully make a mess.

Short of these three, there is very little that passes for a serious infraction in my home.