As usually happens when we return from Grandma's house, where rules are practically non-existent and every wish is granted, there is an attitude adjustment period. It seems to get worse every time. Combine this with the fact that Cakes is going through both an "unfair" stage and a "dark" stage (more on that later) and you get one seriously grouchy, emotional girl with a major attitude problem. I should take some of the credit for her attitude though since mine has been less than stellar lately. Her (or our) attitudes are most evident when working on homework or practicing the piano.
Last Tuesday I had told her she wouldn't be getting any music money for practicing since she hadn't practiced at least five days that week, but if she wanted to earn some music money for something else, she could read the Piano Explorer magazine her teacher hands out every month and write down five facts. She started to work on it but the attitude started and I told her she couldn't do it if she was going to have a bad attitude. This of course escalated into her screaming in her room, practically hysterical after I gave her one last chance to shape up or go to bed (it was bed time, so not a serious punishment). At some point she screamed lots of names and such at me. Once she calmed down she tried to convince me to give her one more chance, which I didn't do. Sometime later she snuck down the hall and slipped this note into the family room...
I have no idea what she was trying to spell after that drawing, but I assume she was asking for her piano notebook. I had asked her if she wanted a drink of water and told her she would have time in the morning and in the car before piano to finish writing so she could earn some money from her teacher. Later we got this note...
The blank in that one is for "baptized" which I guess she didn't dare try to spell. I should also mention that her new favorite song, off of Taylor Swift's latest CD is "Mean." I'm pretty sure she thinks that song sums up her life.
Which leads me to her dark phase. She's been asking for at least a year now if her outfit makes her "look like a teenager" and then lately she's been choosing lots of things in black (scarf, boots, shirt, leggings, skirt...) and she would wear these black clothes every day of the week if we didn't insist on clean clothes. I teased her a little while we were shopping Saturday, pointing out that she's not supposed to wear all black until she turns into a grouchy teenager.
Our only conclusion so far is that the girl needs more sleep. She keeps giving us other reasons why she needs her own room, which we're working on, but it will be a while.
She's not all grouchiness though. She's really been ejoying the family scripture reading we started in December. We read just a few verses a night having to do with the nativity, along with this advent calendar my mom gave me with little story booklets that frequently coincided with that night's scripture. And now we're reading from the Book of Mormon (most) every night.
I love how she linked wanting water and getting baptized. And I love how she changes her font/style for emphasis!!
ReplyDeleteIs there a teenager she admires that wears all black?
We all go through stages... how old were you when you went through the bee stage =D
Maybe take her down memory lane and show her how you dressed at that age. Can't imagine growing up with no sisters... I know there were several sisters that wore my clothes because I was a cool teenager =D
I hadn't thought of my bee stage, but I was just a little older than her. My third grade teacher saw me at Melissa's high school graduation and remembered that I wore black and yellow all the time. I was thinking along the same lines as far as older sisters - she really has no one to compare to; there are a few older girls at church that she thinks are pretty cool. One more reason we ought to hire a babysitter sometime!
ReplyDeleteOh, and she thinks she's writing her name in cursive. All her school papers this week came home with "please print" next to her name.