| She and I went to Walgreen's and I guess I said something that rubbed her the wrong way. She responded in a voice that I felt was a little loud. "Keep it down!" I whispered. "You don't want the whole store to hear what you're saying!" She stopped, with eyes gleaming, and smiled at me. There was no telling what she might do next...but I knew she was going to do something. "Don't!" I warned. She did anyway. "Mommy!" she whined loudly as I attempted to get around her with a shopping cart. She laid herself across the shopping cart and whined louder. "Mommy! I'm feeling really happy!" Lying across the cart, she put her feet up in the air and yelled, "Whee!" She really knows how to get the best of me, but I made a valiant effort to not give in. People were looking at us...I cared, but she didn't. "Stop!" I said, mortified, yet trying not to laugh at her antics. "Oh Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" she said as fast as she could. "I'm sooo happy! Don't give me the medicine that makes me sleep and sleep!" Oh dear God, where does she come up with this stuff? I tried to pry her off the shopping cart. "Mommy! I don't want to sleep! Don't give me the medicine that makes me sleep!" What else was there to say except "You win!" I know when I've been beat. Immediately, she popped up off the cart and smiled with innocent satisfaction. (And don't forget...she is 16 years old!) I can only hope that other kids are besting their parents in some way and that I am not alone. This week, as I thought about how I used to win these little battles, I remembered one of my favorite poems that I found in a book by Dale Evans Rogers. What is a Girl? Little girls are the nicest things that happen to people. They are born with a little bit of angel-shine about them and though it wears thin sometimes, there is always enough left over to lasso your heart - even when they are sitting in the mud, or crying temperamental tears, or parading up the street in mother's best clothes. A little girl can be sweeter (and badder) oftener than anyone else in the world. She can jitter around, and stomp and make funny noises that frazzle your nerves, yet just when you open your mouth, she stands there demure with that special look in her eyes. A girl is Innocence playing in the mud, Beauty standing on its head, and Motherhood dragging a doll by the foot. God borrows from many creatures to make a little girl. He uses the song of a bird, the squeal of a pig, the stubbornness of a mule, the antics of a monkey, the spryness of a grasshopper, the curiosity of a cat, the speed of a gazelle, the slyness of a fox, the softness of a kitten and to top it all off He adds the mysterious mind of a woman. A little girl likes new shoes, party dresses, small animals, first grade, noise makers, the girl next door, dolls, make believe, dancing lessons, ice cream, kitchens, coloring books, make-up, cans of water, going visiting, tea parties, and one boy. She doesn't care so much for visitors, boys in general, large dogs, hand-me-downs, straight chairs, vegetables, snow-suits, or staying in the front yard. She is loudest when you are thinking, the prettiest when she has provoked you, the busiest at bedtime, the quietest when you want to show her off and the most flirtatious when she absolutely must not get the best of you again. Who else can cause you more grief, joy, irritation, satisfaction, embarrassment and genuine delight that this combination of Eve, Salome, and Florence Nightingale? She can muss up your home, your hair, your dignity - spend your money, your time and your temper - then just when your patience is ready to crack, her sunshine peeks through and you're lost again. Yes, she is a nerve-racking nuisance, just a noisy bundle of mischief. But when your dreams tumble down and the world is a mess - when it seems you are pretty much of a fool after all - she can make you a king when she climbs up on your knee and whispers, "I love you. I love you best of all." |
| Linda Jo turned 16 four months ago and has been crazy to drive ever since. The week after graduation, she spent the week at Mac's driving school for driver's education. The very Friday it was finished, we went directly to the DMV and she took her written test, which she passed. Finally, she will be behind the wheel...it all begins today! Lately, many people have been impressed with how smart she is. Yes, it was a feat to graduate from high school at the age of 16, however, she is smart in other ways as well. On the day of the non-bomb at Walmart (and even as I write this phrase, I am wondering if all the irritation surrounding the incident has died down over at the police department...I am guessing that it's a sore subject), Linda Jo was smart, all right. |
