Oh, my Belle had a rough day. It turned out okay and her move is going forward, but there were a few hours filled with talk of IMNOTGOING that reminded me of how obstinate she can be. Some things I've always known about her character is that she strives fiercely to maintain independence, when she's pushed into a corner she will come out swinging first, and my girl carries a pink titanium bat. Once that's played out, she digs in to do what needs to be done because she is no quitter. Yesterday was particularly difficult because a mistake was made with no malice intended, families are crazy, she's given notice at both her current jobs and she has to be out of her rental by November 30th regardless of what she decided to do. High pressure in that corner.
In the past, I used to have a saying when she and the wasband interacted: Oh, the General and the Commander are at it again. He's the only dad she's ever known and it's not up to me to define their relationship, but the fact is they love each other and in spite of their personality clashes they want the best for each other. Still, it seems family dynamics never change.
She first tried to teach him I said what I said and I meant it when she was twenty months old and almost toilet-trained. It was the first time I allowed my then boyfriend to babysit my precious bebes, and he'd already formed the opinion that anything a child tells you after they've been tucked into bed for the night is lies meant to delay and manipulate. Three times she told him from behind the babygate that she had to go to the bathroom again. The fourth time, she looked him dead in the eye, took off her diaper and peed on the carpet. A lot. Oh, how I laughed.
The dynamic has played out thousands of times since that day, as the rest of the family watches on with our own flaws and quirks. We each bring different qualities, abilities and personalities. My journey as a mother has led me to a place where the help I can offer is mainly brainstorming ideas and my only role is that of cheerleader, always trying to be as supportive as possible. You could say I am A Fan of all my kids. I had to really dig in the archives of Belle's Facebook for this circa 2012 pic:
Late last night, she sent me the following pic and when I asked permission to use it here, she said the model consented but wants 75% of the endorsements. Pffft, not this feline trying to make bank off Grandma. Keep nomming the 7-Eleven pizza and $9 wine girls, the tabloids pay in litter nuggets.
