Inside Ally's thoughts

A few weeks ago Ally told me, "I don't want to be a princess."

"You don't?  Why not?

"Because they have maids who they have to make work too hard."

I thought that was really insightful and sweet.  I gave her a big hug and I told her it was really great that she was thinking of how other people felt.

Then yesterday, she was washing potatoes for me and she said, "I'm glad they got rid of slavery."

I didn't understand her right away, so she explained, "I'm glad they don't make people be slaves anymore."

I told her I was really glad, too.  Then I said, "Did washing potatoes make you think of that?"

"Yeah," she admitted.  "I mean, it's fun to help you wash potatoes, but if you had to do it all day..."

Dreams of Charlie

When I woke up today, Anna came in for a cuddle.

Anna said, "I had a dream that I was babysitting Charlie."

I said, "Weird! I had a dream that I was watching Charlie, too!"

Anna continued, "Yeah, I was a super hero and I had to rescue Charlie and take him down to my secret lair to keep him safe."

That part was different than mine.  Nine-year-old dreams seem much more exciting!

Charlie giving Anna a kiss on his first birthday last month

Traumatizing Anna

About two weeks ago, I had an umbilical hernia repair.  I didn't react well to the anesthesia, so I was in bad shape for a couple days.  I tried to be tough for the kids, to not worry them, but it affected Anna quite a bit.

This morning after she opened her water bottle, she pulled up her shirt and looked down at her belly.

She saw me looking at her so she explained, "My belly button is perfect."

When that didn't clear it up for me, she continued, "Every time I lift something, or just now I pushed down on that water bottle really hard, I check to make sure my belly button is still okay."

Ally, the prosecuting attorney

Although it can also make me crazy, I truly love how persistent Ally is when she wants something and I love how insightful her arguments can be.  If she wanted to become one, I think she'd make a darn good lawyer.

Take this morning.  She didn't want to go to school.  But instead of just complaining about going or playing sick, she put forward the following argument:

"I don't like school, and you're making me go.  I didn't do anything wrong, and you're 'consequencing' me."

That's a pretty good argument for a seven-year-old to make to her mother whose job revolves around discipline.

Highlighting in parenting books

I was reading and highlighting in a couple books "Parenting Teens with Love and Logic" and "Screen Wise" during Kate's music lessons.

I hadn't realized Luke and Ally were watching me until I looked up and saw their somewhat horrified expressions.    

Luke asked, "Why are you coloring all over that?" 

I couldn't help but laugh a little, and then I explained, "It's called highlighting.  I do it so I can remember the important parts."

Ally continued, "Are you allowed to do that?" 

I explained that I could do it in books that I owned, and that I only did it with non-fiction books so I could remember the important information.

Later that night, as I folded laundry in my room, Anna came in and told me, "I'm not going to have to read books like you do to know how to be a good mom when I'm a mom."

"Oh, really?" I asked as I swatted at her with some pajamas I'd been folding.

She continued to explain that she'd just know how to be a good mom, because she would already know everything about what her kids were going through since she'd already have been a kid. 

I countered with, "But, you'll never have been a mom before!" I accentuated my point by throwing a few pairs of my underwear at her her explaining, "I read in a parenting book that it's a good idea to throw underwear at your nine-year-old!"

I don't know why, but later it actually kind of bugged me a little that she'd said that.  I questioned why it was that I was always feeling the need to read more and more about parenting.  The insecurity sat in the back of my mind all that night and the next day.

Then before bedtime the next day, Anna climbed into my bed next to me for reading.  She put her arms around me, and without any mention of the previous day's conversation, she said, "Do you know why I won't have to read any books about how to be a good mom?"

"Why," I asked, ready to have to tickle her.

"Because I have you.  And, you're the best mom.  And I'm going to do just what you're doing."

We still have "Oh, Anna" moments

The kids and I were eating dinner and Anna says, "Does any one else find it fascinating how phones work?  You can talk into one thing and someone else can hear it.  It's like telephone (meaning the game)!"

I don't say anything.

Kate looks at Anna blankly and finally says, "Phones are telephones."

Anna says, "No!  I mean the game."