Y’all, six years old is hard. Ella & I have had a bit of a hard year, but we’re pressing on. I wrote a little bit about it back in October and I still feel like we are very much in this same place. I keep on praying that when we turn seven the switch will instantly flip and everything will be back to normal. I’m not sure if it’s the age, or school, or responsibility or just me, but six years old seems to be full of sass and drama and one very strong will. I’m easily frustrated because she is such a precious child and I want to enjoy her at every age. It’s hard to enjoy someone who is sullen and constantly frustrated with you for one thing or another, no matter how hard you want to. Part of the problem is that Ella and I are virtually the same person. We’re emotionally charged, with a short temper and a “my way or the highway” attitude. It’s understandable why we would butt heads, right?
my mom’s job is to “work for other people”
She’s also a serious daddy’s girl. Serious. She always picks his side, he’s always right, never hurts her feelings and always soothes her hurts. It’s hard to watch them together knowing that I want that kind of relationship with her. She and Sophie are at the beach with my parents this week and the morning they arrived they called to check in with us. I was thrilled to talk to them both and then passed the phone off to Josh. He was grinning from ear to ear when he got off the phone and told me that the first thing she said when he answered was “I really miss you, daddy”. Really? I got nothing of the sort. I try not to let those little moments hurt my feelings, I know that every child prefers a parent at one time or another. I kidded with him after he got off the phone and told him to leave Taz alone. She clearly favors me for now and I have no intention of letting him ruin that for me!
my mom is prettiest when she wears a dress, high heels, a necklace & bracelet
Yesterday afternoon, I came home to an empty house after yoga and decided to get a few things done. My phone rang while I was washing dishes and it was my sweet Ella girl. The first thing she said when I picked up was that she is home sick and really misses her mommy. Y’all, I almost cried. Ella is a habitual over-night guest with whoever she can convince to keep her. I promise you that she stays away from home AT LEAST once a week and sometimes more. I cannot imagine her being homesick, even for a second, especially on vacation with Gran?! But boy, that phone call did my heart some good.
my mom always says “to be polite”
Then just a few minutes after we hung up, I found this sweet little book from kindergarten. I’m guessing she made this for Mother’s Day and it somehow never got delivered. These sweet little glimpses into her heart are such a balm to me. I know that six years old is just a season. Attitude and back talk will go away. Consistency is the key, even when I feel like it isn’t working. Praying for her and snuggling her even when she’s driving me crazy is paying off. She’s listening and she even knows my favorite color. The things she says about me to others are nothing like the things she says to me. I remember being a daughter as a child, it isn’t easy. There is as much pressure on her to measure up as there is on me. God knew I needed a phone call and these sweet words tonight. That Belle is a pretty special girl. And she’s all mine.
my mom would love to go on vacation to “the beach”
