My child is stubborn. S-T-U-B-B-O-R-N. She is stubborn and impatient. I don’t know where she gets it. *hums a little tune*
If you ask my husband, he blames it on me. Actually, truth be told, Aaron blames it on my dad. Let me paint this picture for you.
It all started on Thursday, October 14, 2010. I was laying in a hospital bed holding my barely 5 hours old baby in my arms. Aaron stood beside me, beaming at our little chunky cheeked angel. My dad came in the room. He grinned at me and said the words that forever changed our life. “I hope she is just like you.” I’m pretty sure there was even a chuckle after he said those words. It was a sarcastic chuckle, people.
I saw it in his eyes. For a brief moment, I saw him flash back to when I was a baby. That’s when he chuckled.
I’m kidding. We know it wasn’t all his fault. But oh, how Aaron enjoyed reminding me of Dad’s words. He reminded me on the nights when we drove around the neighborhoods trying to put Kiera to sleep, the times she would flail those little fists and scream at the top of her lungs and the times she would stomp her feet.One of the first times I remember realizing the extent of her stubbornness was in Wal-Mart, of all places. She was right around two years old. I don’t remember what she became upset over. What I do remember is sitting on the floor in the shampoo aisle and pulling a defiant Kiera onto my lap.
All the ‘experts’ tell you when your child throws a fit to ‘not bend, set your boundary and stick to it.’ Well, that’s all well and good until you find yourself laying down the law while sitting on a well used floor.
I remember giving her a speech about behaving and all the other things that go along with that speech. I looked into her angry, brown eyes and said, “Yes ma’am?” trying to prompt the appropriate response.
The angry, brown eyes continued to glare at me. “Yes ma’am?” I asked again with a little more steel in my voice. I decided to set the boundary. “We are not moving until you say yes ma’am.”
Ahhh… what a joy it is to sit on the floor with a glaring toddler on your lap while people push shopping baskets around you. I eventually won that battle, although I was concerned for a brief moment.
Nowadays, her stubbornness comes out in so many ways. She often shows her independence and does not want us to help.
A few nights ago, we began to teach her how to swim. I took her safety vest off after Aaron and I had worked with her for a bit.
I placed her on my knee and she dove off, splashing for all she was worth. I quickly grabbed her up and sat her back on my knee.
“Honey, like this.” I demonstrated how to cup her hands.
“Ok.” She said as she dove off my knee again.
Once more, I scooped her up and demonstrated what to do. “Let me help you, baby.”
She placed a hand on my cheek, looked me straight in the eyes and with determination in her voice she declared, “I can do this!” Then promptly threw herself back into the water to try again.
We have since signed up for swimming lessons. She is determined and that is a good thing… most of the time. Even though sometimes, Aaron and I wonder how we will get through to our stubborn child, we are proud of her and that stubbornness.
Back to my Dad and his famous words. I’ll be honest and admit to having given him some of his gray hairs. Although, I maintain that my brother is responsible for 65% of them. My Dad and Mom managed to raise me and not take me back to the hospital for a refund. I’m counting on the stubborn family gene to get Aaron and I through raising Kiera to a strong, young woman… that and lots of prayer.
