MEETING OF THE MINDS

Why is it that my 4 year old thinks she is on the same mental playing field as me? Honestly, it's so asasperating I wish I could just detach my head from my body. Jenna seems to think she has the answer to everything lately. While it's cute she's forming her own opinions about life, sometimes I wish she would just stick to the facts.... well the facts as presented to her by mom. What mommy says go. There is no arguing with mommy. While you may have ideas of your own; they are instantly vetoed by mommy. Ah, if life were only that easy!

For example, if I ask her to clean up her toys, she gives me 101 excuses as to why she won't be doing that. Or she'll try to bargain with me. Tit for tat so to speak. Only thing is I'm getting the bum end of the deal because it involves her playing and making an even bigger mess and I get stuck cleaning it up. Someone needs to tell her this is not "Deal or No Deal" but rather "Do what I say or else!" The worst part is when she takes something I say, and uses it to dismiss me. For instance, I might say, "Jenna I want you go upstairs and put on your pj's" I'll get "Don't use that tone with me." What the hell is that about???? The worst part about hearing her say things like that isn't so much about disobedience or being a sass-mouth. The worst part is it affirms my greatest fear: I've become one of those stereotypical parents that vowed to never be like their own parents!!!

Do you remember the days when you said you would never be caught dead repeating the popular catch-phrases of your parents while growing up? Things like "because I said so" or "just wait until your father gets home." I hate to admit it, but now I can relate to my parents. That must either mean I've entered a rite of passage of parenthood or that I've run out of my own ideas and resorted to adopting the oldies of my parents (((SHUDDER))). How many of us vowed we would be cool parents? It was so much more feasible when we were young, didn't pay mortgages, and basically had no responsibility whatsoever. Ah, how I long for the days of simplicity. It's funny really... back when we were teenagers, we thought we had the world figured out. Now that we are actually adults, we realize not only did we NOT have the world figured out, but we are still scratching our heads on the subject (and our asses if we are politicians).

I do realize that being a parent involves a lot of give and take. Or is it a lot of give and get taken? There is no textbook definition of what makes the perfect parent; so trying to live up to something that doesn't exist is futile. You just do the best you can and learn as you go along I suppose. I guess one day I'll look back on these days and laugh because dealing with my 4 year old is going to be a lot easier than dealing with her 10 years from now. I guess I should leave it as this: out of the mouths of babes, and testing the agonizing patience of parents.