Living with a preschooler is sometimes like sharing a house with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Or Sybil. She is alternately intense, distractible, impulsive, dramatic and compassionate. She is social and opinionated, and can be absolutely egocentric, displaying a grandiose sense of self-importance. Her intelligence and humor continually astonish me and I am convinced she is the savviest three-year-old in town. As she becomes ever more independent, she needs the security and consistency of clear rules, so it's crucial that we set limits. I know she cherishes that parental connection, even if she fights us tooth-and-nail. She can be defiant and it appears she feels no guilt; insincere utterances of "sorry" are usually coerced by me. And I adore her.
And the physical changes! Even though of course we knew what changes were coming, her rapid growth seems to defy science. In three short years, her height and weight have nearly doubled. Her previously bald head has hair. She talks non-stop, sharing every thought with me. In a year she will be riding a bike. How can a child change so dramatically, so quickly? Even as our hearts are warmed while watching family videos of Mira's homecoming in 2008, we are sobered by how quickly time has flown past us, as this baby who was completely dependent on us yesterday is suddenly almost a regular "kid."
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Living with a preschooler high-schooler is sometimes like sharing a house with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Or Sybil. She He is alternately intense, distractible, impulsive, dramatic, compassionate and sarcastic. She He is social and opinionated, and can be absolutely egocentric, displaying a grandiose sense of self-importance. Her His intelligence and humor continually astonish me and I am convinced she he is one of the wittiest people I know. As she he becomes ever more independent, she he needs the security and consistency of clear rules, so it's crucial that we set limits. I secretly think she he appreciates that parental connection, even when she he fights us tooth-and-nail. Sometimes she he appears to completely lack impulse control and seemingly feels no guilt; insincere utterances of "sorry" are usually coerced by me. And I adore her him.
And the physical changes! Even though of course we knew what changes were coming, her his rapid growth seems to defy science. In three short years, her his height and weight seem like they've doubled. Her His previously bald head smooth face has hair. She He talks to friends non-stop, sharing guarding personal information from me. In a year she he will be riding a bike driving a car. How can a child change so dramatically, so quickly? Even as our hearts are warmed while watching family videos of Mira's homecoming in 2008, we are sobered by how quickly time has flown past us, as this kid who was dependent on us yesterday is suddenly practically a "regular kid" full-grown man.
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The influence of the teenage sibling is obvious in Mira's words and actions, and their interactions result in Mira doing a lot of trash talking for someone her size. (She recently said to Ethan, "I gonna throw you in the garbage and get a new brother," as well as "I not like your hair.") It can be embarrassing if strangers are within earshot, and you end up wishing you were wearing a sign that read, "We're a nice family, honestly," but of course you end up just grimacing.
But as much as I might grimace at her "big talk," her close relationship with a brother who is 12 years older makes it worth the imperfections. I think a lot of teenage boys would be too busy to pay much attention to little sisters, but Ethan thoroughly enjoys her, and she adores him. I love it.
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