It is interesting to watch your child grow and see their personalities unravel before you. My fixation on my child may seem a little much at times, but she is truly the most precious gift I have ever received. A sweet little girl for me to love and cherish and help mold into something great, at least I hope. You never know as a parent which steps are right or wrong along the way, but you learn a little more everyday as life unfolds. I love my role as a mom although this is not how I pictured my life when I was growing up. I always thought I'd be an accountant or some kind of working girl. When she was born, something inside me clicked and I found a new perspective on life. I had my own family now and being a stay at home mom and housewife was enough for me.
Although my child is as cute as can be, she does not always act precious. She tests her limits, especially with me, and has had a night or two without cookies in the past few weeks. Bad habit, I know. But, life is short. So, why not make everyday special in ways you can? While I do try to make each day special, I still make her responsible for her actions with what I hope are appropriate consequences. Believe me, she does not like losing her cookies! Luckily, it does it happen very often. At times she does pretend to be excited to go to her room when she is sent there, but I know it is a front and she is hoping to get off the hook. I think a little alone time in her room is good for her, but it does not happen often. It gives her the chance to play with some of the gifts she has received over the past few years. It is crazy the amount of stuff she has accumulated!! For the most part, she loves to either play outdoors or in the basement. I don't even dare go to the basement anymore because every time I do it is a horrible mess which if cleaned will magically reappear upon her return. :) I've learned to pick my battles and this is one I'm willing to lose. Out of sight, out of mind.
For the most part, she is kind and helpful. Her teacher gives her lots of good reports at school. I think she is probably more helpful at school than at home, but she does have times where she wants to help at home. She likes to help me cook at times. She loves to lick the muffin bowls. At times, she retrieves a couple gallons of distilled water from the garage. She vacuumed the other day and got 5 stickers for her chart (50 cents). We don't have a chore system set up, but maybe one day I will get around to organizing that. Maybe not. One of my favorite things that she does to help is to put her clothes in the hamper where they go. It's the little things...
She has a silly streak and definitely likes to make people smile and laugh. She makes some crazy annoying noises that I try not to let drive me crazy as I know it is all part of being a child and discovering new things. Sometimes I wonder why she acts the way she does, but I try to just accept her as she is. My Sunday school class has been studying a book called Grace Based Parenting and the concepts are quite interesting to me. While I would prefer she used her manners all the time, she does not. That is a work in progress. She is polite for the most part, but a bit demanding at times. This is probably one place I could work on as a parent - modeling the behavior I want to see in my child. Like I said, every day is part of the learning process. As a child, I was asked to use the terms ma'am and sir and Mr. and Mrs. when talking adults. I believe that taught me respect for others. I hope I instill this quality in Summer too, but sometimes this world is so out of control it is hard to teach your child in the right ways because it is not always reinforced in the real world. So, I accept that I do what I can do and move on. No need to worry about things beyond my control.
Summer has a very sensitive side too. She is very much a mommy's girl and does not like to think about times when she will not be able to be with me. She would prefer for me to always be at her side, unless she is at her Memaws or cousins. Then, I'm pretty much low man on the totem pole. The reason for her attachment is understandable and right now I am just clinging to it in hopes that it will last a few years longer. It won't be much longer before I'm off the A list...unless I do everything right and there is not much hope of that. Nonetheless, I love my sweet baby girl! I am thankful I am still able to carry her when she wants. My lap is never too full when she is in it. It feels just right. We are very much snugglers and very affectionate. Sweet kisses from my little girl make my heart skip a beat! I know one day they will not be so easy to get. Bedtime nuzzles, rocking her in my arms when she needs some extra security....why do they have to grow up???
She tends to be very aggressive with her dad, and they play a lot more rough than we do. He definitely brings out the fighter in her. She loves to roughhouse with him and gives him a hard time. Her affection does not flow so freely to him, but the love is definitely there. I love to watch them together, and see the smiles on their faces when they are playing around. Sometimes she gets out of hand, at least in my opinion and gets a little too rough. I'm not sure how to handle it when it comes to her dad, as he is an adult and can set his own boundaries with her. But, she knows I do not tolerate hitting or intentionally inflicting pain on others. Luckily, we haven't faced that yet. She seems to get along fine with all kids at school which always makes a momma happy.
She's six and a half going on seven. She really doesn't seem to be much older than that yet. She's a fun loving and down to earth little girl with a little bit of drama thrown in at times. Above all, she's mine and I wouldn't trade her for anything in the world. She definitely makes life worth living!
5 years ago
