Mimi-isms

Thanks to those of you who commented, texted and emailed to let me know that we are not alone in raising a SWC. It helps to realize that even though other parents might look like they have it together and have perfectly behaved children, we all share a lot of the same struggles. My Dobson books are encouraging me that we are doing the right thing in our discipline and I know that Mimi will benefit from it in the long run.

But enough about that. Today I want to share some of her recent funny quotes. Everything that comes out of her mouth these days makes me laugh, but I am bad about remembering to write them down. When she isn't being terrible, she really is so sweet and funny and cute.

• Me: "Amelia, you need to go put baby Allison back in her bed in your room." Mimi: "But she's not sleepy, Mama."
• The other day I was calling to Amelia from another room. She couldn't understand what I said and instead of just coming to me she shouted, "What you telling about, Mama?"

This doesn't look like a girl that could be sassy, does it?

• calls her Mrs. Potato Head "Mashed Potato Head."

• sees a bird in the yard and grabs a blade of grass in her hands and holds it out saying, "Here, sweetie, sweetie. Come here, little sweetie." What?!

• loves to dance around in the yard flapping her arms around and jumping and calls it her "Happy Dance." She also encourages everyone around her to do the happy dance. My parents are especially good at the happy dance.

• She talks to her baby dolls as if they are real people. When she's bringing them from one room to another with her she says, "Come on, girls." She had them in the bathroom with her while she was on the potty the other day and when she was done said, "I need to get these girls off this nasty floor!" LOL. Now, I don't have the cleanest bathroom ever, but I wouldn't call the floor nasty. I'm sure she's heard me saying to her in a public place to get off that nasty floor, or don't eat something off the nasty floor, ha.


• She's big on saying "each one" right now. i.e. "Each one of these babies can't come to school with me." "I ate each one of my Tinkerbell dummies (gummies)."
• She's so obsessed with junk food, and I really do try to limit how much of it she eats. This was obvious the other day when I was cooking supper and had a yummy poppyseed chicken casserole in the oven and she walked in the kitchen and said, "I smell chips!" I'm like, "Um, no, you smell actual food cooking." Maybe I need to cook more often...

I know there are so many more that I can't remember right now. I love that funny little girl. I will post more as I remember more Mimi-isms.

The Strong-Willed Child

Our sweet girl may look just like her Daddy....

  ...but her personality is all me. Yikes!

Yes, we have a Strong-Willed Child (SWC) on our hands. She is sassy and dramatic, and if something is not her idea, she is not interested in it. Do not even think about asking her to do something she doesn't want to do, or say something she doesn't want to say (i.e. "I'm sorry" or "Yes, 'mam") without a struggle. We have had some dramatic days recently with this girl. Sometimes I'm at a loss for what to do with her. We want her to be obedient, kind and respectful, and we are doing our best to be consistent with our discipline. Surely that has to pay off soon.

We've tried some different methods on our own, but it's time for some reinforcements. I have this on its way to me as I type:

And my friend Allison (mother of four) loaned me this one:

Dr. Dobson is a renowned parenting expert, and is sure to have some solid advice for us as we attempt to get our toddler under control before she turns into a Strong-Willed Teenager. Rumor has it that my own parents purchased his books years ago when they were raising a SWC of their own. I am aware that I deserve each and every trial we face with our girl.

On the bright side, having a strong will isn't always such a bad thing. I like to think that my strong-willed personality kept me from being a crowd-follower and led to some good decisions in life, and I would hope that Mimi's inherited traits will equip her to be a good decision-maker as well.

But in the meantime, your prayers are appreciated as we try to be tough and consistent with our little drama queen! Luckily for us all, when she isn't throwing a fit or refusing to be obedient, she sure is sweet and cute.