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| | Mothers and Daughters |  | | | Something light most parents will relate to and most non-parents will have joys to look forward to. | | |
My mother used to tell me that I was an angelic child once. Supposedly, I respected and obeyed her along with every other adult in the [I]whole wide world[/I]. To be honest, I remember no such thing. My mother doesn't understand why my daughter, Caterina, is spoiled, unyielding, and listens to nobody -- unless of course it is to her own advantage.
"She must take after her father's side of the family," mother claims continuously. Sure, mom. You should know. Caterina's (or "Ninina" as she calls herself) strong personality couldn't possibly have anything to do with her grandmother's refusal to listen to her cry, and catering to the child's every whim.
"If you're firm with her," my mother says, "she'll learn to listen, respect, and obey us all." Maybe, mother, you were just very lucky to be blessed with the angelic child you keep reminding me that I used to be. Maybe, I was a wimp, and Caterina isn't. Maybe being firm with her will not make a difference. Maybe, mother, she was just born that way!
"Mommy," she cries, "appo juice." She grabs her empty bottle without waiting for my response, and hands it to me. "Appo juice!" she orders.
"Eat your lunch first." I answer.
"Noooo!" she insists.
"No juice if you don't eat your lunch."
"Appo juice, now, mommy!" She crosses her arms and stares at me with her dark, piercing eyes.
"No. Not until you finish your lunch." I place the bottle in the sink and wait for the momentary war to erupt. The ritual is always the same. She embraces my leg and starts screaming. I manage to drag myself to the chair pulling her along as she grabs harder and, with a lot of effort, I sit.
"Aaaappooo juuuuice." She pulls my leg.
"Young lady, finish your lunch and I will give you ten bottles of apple juice," I say calmly (though I really want to scream back louder than her).
"Nooo! No mum. Appo juice." Her tears start rolling down her face. The usual trick. This child has enough tears to fill an ocean in one day. Three more like her, and the entire world would never again have a water shortage.
"Eat your lunch first."
"Noooo!" she screams. I wonder if the whole universe hears her, as I cover my ears with my palms. She seems surprised at my action for a moment and stops crying. She squints her eyes, curls her lips (which is her "now I'm really angry and you're in trouble" expression), and she pulls my hands away from my ears; she then returns to her job of pulling my leg. I decide not to give in to her, to be "firm" as mother says. She has been spoiled enough, and her weapons are her voice and tears.
"Will you eat your lunch, sweetheart?" I smile at her, hoping a calm voice will make her change her mind.
"Noooo. Appo juice,” she screams again pulling on my leg so hard for a tiny little critter that it is now so numb, I feel as if it doesn't exist. She is extremely strong for a two year old; she almost makes me fall from the chair. I just don't understand where she gets her strength. She never eats -- she lives on milk, water, juice, vitamins, and breadsticks. I had stopped giving her potato chips and chocolate several months earlier when I first noticed that she was beginning to be a problem eater. I assumed that if she didn't eat junk food, she would start eating normal food again, but I was wrong. Her doctor doesn't believe me when I tell him that she doesn't eat.
"She's the perfect weight for a one year old," he said three weeks ago.
“But doctor, she's only two," I answered. She continues to cry until her face turns blue. I force myself to ignore her, though I really want to hold her and give her the stupid juice. She finally frees my leg, sits on the couch, and falls asleep. The battle is a stalemate, but the war is not over.
[align=center]End of part I[/align]
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Simos_Vassilis
09-07-2009 @ 01:14 | Maybe, I was a wimp, and Caterina isn't. Maybe being firm with her will not make a difference. Maybe, mother, she was just born that way!
..............................
The battle is a stalemate, but the war is not over.
You put it right!! | | Mικρουλι
09-07-2009 @ 01:43 | Joys? hahaha no I am joking children are persistent but they are a blessing, definitely a joy I am looking forward to one day!
::hug.:: ::up.:: ::hug.:: | | χωρικός
09-07-2009 @ 13:41 | good afternoon Paula! ::yes.:: | |  |
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