It’s been a while . . .

I haven’t posted in a while because I’ve been quite tied up trying to mold my child’s extremely strong will into something that will make her a productive adult. Notice I didn’t say “break,” because I’ve been reading all kinds of advantages to having a strong will, none the least of which is the ability to stand up to peer pressure, and I kind of want her to keep it. SO, for now, we’re trying hard to find ways to direct it. Exhausting for me, irritating for her. Her large vocabulary seems to be increasingly put aside in favor of her “No, no, mommy”, “mine,” and general fit-pitching.

She was in time-out yesterday three times before 9:00 and then three more times at dinner over a stupid piece of pear that she didn’t want to eat (other times in between as well). When she finally finished the pear (after mommy kindly told her that she would eat it and the sooner she did, the sooner she could play), she said, “All done!” hopped down and ran off singing.

We went to Dirt Cheap last night with Jan (Jake was working), and she proceeded to take her shoes off and lay down in the cart and pretend to go night-night. The cart was a lemon, as usual, and she developed quite decent skill at being about to say “bump, bump . . .” at the same rhythm as the cart.

And, in my last point about Ava, she’s taken to screaming like she’s dying anytime that Grandma or Grandpa come and don’t take her with them. She has a way of hinting that they take her — she runs to get her shoes as soon as they walk in the door.

Here she is enjoying an afternoon on the pier at Fairhope.

Ahhhhh……. the joys of parenthood. As Jake says, I have to deal with most of the icky stuff of parenting, but I also get lots of sweet moments.