Such Fierceness!
by Kym on October 8, 2009
Winnie-the-Pooh: Cuddly bear all stuffed with fluff? Or morally bankrupt orchestrator of a string of honey thefts that will live on in infamy?
According to Emma…
“Pooh shouldn’t take the bees’ honey…it’s not his! It’s not nice to take things away from people! That’s stealing!”
Leaf Collecting: A harmless childhood hobby? Or a disgusting eco-unfriendly practice worthy of scorn and disdain?
According to Emma…
Neighbour Boy: Here’s a pretty leaf for you. See? It has spots on! (Passing it through the chain link fence)
Emma: (Passing it back) It has a little rip in it there. You ripped it off the tree! Put it back and say sorry to the tree for hurting it!
Neighbour Boy: (Contritely laying it on a bare bough) Sorry tree.
Emma: (Shouting) And don’t do it again!
Neighbour Boy: Sorry Emma.
Emma: (Smugly) That’s better.
Playing with Grandpa. A fun, giggle inspiring passtime? Or a bump on the head waiting to happen?
According to Emma…
Definitely both.
Emma: “Higher Grandpa! Higher!”
Grandpa: (Obliges)
Emma: (Crawls over and around Grandpa with a hysterical sort of energy that is at once fascinating and disturbing)
Grandpa: (Tickles Emma)
Emma: (Ducks away from tickling hands and cracks head against coffee table)
Grandpa: “Oh ouch…you okay Emma?”
Emma: (Stomps away in a huff, spins on one heel and shouts) “I’m not playing your stupid little games anymore, Grandpa!”
Grandpa: (Laughs…further enraging Emma)
Emma: That’s enough of that!”
You know, as long as we teach her the right way to go, this little girl is going to be a force (for good, I hope) to be reckoned with in this world. I’ve never met a five year old with such fierce opinions before. She’s often exhausting, of course, and not someone you’d want to argue with at the end of a long day, but wow. Imagining her as a grown woman is something that often brings me delight. Imagining her as a teenager however…now that’s an exercise in terror.
23 comments
She will be very honest and ethical!
by Kristina P. on October 8, 2009 at 8:27 am. #
A wise and witty older mom, observing one of Hope’s tantrums (also at age five) said, “She’ll grow up to be a strong, vibrant woman if you don’t beat it out of her.”
(She was kidding, but I got it.)
by Luisa Perkins on October 8, 2009 at 8:59 am. #
Terror and delight indeed! Now how can I harness this in my own bundle of terror inducing joy?
by Eowyn on October 8, 2009 at 9:13 am. #
My mom says I was like this growing up, though I don’t think I was *quite* so extreme! Oh, Emma! I think you’re right, that she’s definitely going to be a force for good in this world!
by Beth on October 8, 2009 at 9:18 am. #
What a little fire cracker. That is SO cute. She’s so expressive and SMART! (and a little sassy). Maybe she’ll tame down before she reaches her teens? (yeah, right!)
by LisAway on October 8, 2009 at 9:23 am. #
I like Emma. She has a strong moral center.
And great delivery.
by That Girl on October 8, 2009 at 9:27 am. #
I think I have to apologize now for all the leaves I picked off the trees over the years.
I promise to never do it again!
by Mara on October 8, 2009 at 9:28 am. #
You said it sister. Many qualities that are hard to deal with in kids make for lovely adults. However, I have heard it said by people who have far more experience than I that high maintenance little girls become mellow teenagers and vice versa. Here’s keeping the fingers crossed. Very clever post. Love it!
by Heidi Ashworth on October 8, 2009 at 9:44 am. #
Oh, I’d like to meet that one!
I fear I’ve got one in the oven who’s going to be just that way (her mama is, after all). I mean, when she’s got opinions about my sleeping position and has figured out how to make herself known from the womb, I tend to assume I’m in for it once the world becomes her oyster.
It’s only fair, I guess, after the you-know-what I gave my mother!
by InkMom on October 8, 2009 at 9:54 am. #
Strong girls are the best! It’s the wimpy ones that are tough for me.
I love the way she called her little gentleman caller to repentance. Eco-friendly family, you guys, huh?
by Kazzy on October 8, 2009 at 11:50 am. #
That Emma! She sounds like a handful! Keeps you laughing though. She is very intelligent. :)
by warmchocmilk on October 8, 2009 at 12:41 pm. #
Jaime Theler wrote a great book called “Parenting the Ephraim’s child.” I mention it, not because I think your child is one but because there’s a line in it that I LOVE for describing my son’s fiery attitude. It said something like: Your child’s fierce indepence will make is so that the world doesn’t change your child but that your child will change the world.
It gives me such hope when my son is stomping off in a huff.
by L.T. Elliot on October 8, 2009 at 2:38 pm. #
Girl Power. It’s all about the Girl Power. Go, little Emma (but don’t tell her I called her “little” – she might not like it).
by Becca on October 8, 2009 at 2:52 pm. #
Oh, my gosh. It’s like listening to my mom tell stories about me.
Sounds like you’ve get the VERY BEST kind of firecracker on your hands.
by Melanie J on October 8, 2009 at 3:24 pm. #
How funny! She understands right and wrong! I think she will be a good, strong-willed teenager.
by Ambrosia on October 8, 2009 at 5:49 pm. #
All I can think about is that sweet little boy who fell for the girl next door so hard that when she told him to put the gift back he did it humbly and obediently. Do you have a guy beating stick for when she’s a teenager?
by Sarah on October 8, 2009 at 6:00 pm. #
oh Emma…how I love your forth-right manner and determined spirit!!
by Jenn on October 8, 2009 at 7:47 pm. #
She has so much empathy! What a sweetheart!
by Erin on October 9, 2009 at 1:52 pm. #
Oh Emma, she totally cracks me up. Absolutely love it! I will remember to only pick up leaves from the ground. I wouldn’t dare cross her! Haha. :)
by Jaina on October 9, 2009 at 3:23 pm. #
She is so fabulous! I love her to pieces and I haven’t even met her yet. (Notice I included the YET, because I fully intend to meet her someday.) It seems that the spirits that are coming down now are stronger-willed than any of our generation.
by charrette on October 9, 2009 at 8:16 pm. #
Such a funny girl! I love that she is looking out for others even if they are trees.
by Tonya on October 10, 2009 at 8:38 am. #
emma is such a treat! (and i say keep the end result in sight during those teen years, because you are so right: she is going to be one unstoppable woman.)
by nic on October 13, 2009 at 6:35 am. #
She sure is spirited, just like my almost 5 year old. Today he reprimanded the table because his head bonked it. Said we shouldn’t be allowed to have a table in our house :) !! And my husband just wrote a facebook note about him. He called it, “Raising Cultural Awareness in America’s Children: A Case for Outsourcing.” I will have to send it to you!
by An Ordinary Mom on October 13, 2009 at 1:25 pm. #