And There's Nothing You Can Do About It

Photo by Vincent Arts

Laylee and Magoo are staying with their grandma and grandpa while I'm at a conference in New York. I called to check on them and they seem to be doing fine, far less momsick than I am kidsick. I miss them almost as much as I miss their dad.

Laylee said they were having a GREAT time with Grandma, "We watched Sleeping Beauty and I know you don't like us to watch that show but you're not here so there's nothing you can do about it!" She may have followed it up with a highly mature, "HA ha!"

It was one of those moments where, as a parent, I know I'm supposed to mad, not mad that they watched Sleeping Beauty for goodness sake, but mad that she did something she thought I wouldn't approve of and then threw it in my face because I was miles away and incapable of flicking her little nose through the phone. But strangely I wasn't mad.

First of all, I have no major problem with Sleeping Beauty. I just limit its viewing in our house in an attempt to limit the chances that Laylee will randomly decide to "call forth the powers of Hell" while playing Polly Pockets at a friend's house. Secondly, when Grandma's watching a bunch of sick kids, she can let them watch any ole Disney cartoon she chooses.

Thirdly, I don't think she was being malicious. She's been strung around from house to house for days while feeling lousy, only to be dropped off completely for 3 days in the happiest place on earth. She's experiencing freedom she's only dreamed of in the past and feels a bit of rebellion towards me because I've abandoned her to go off and experience high times with my internet girlfriends.

The older she gets, the more she'll want to test out her freedom and autonomy and the more it may feel like a slap in my face but she keeps growing and growing and there really is nothing I can do about a lot of it. I need to teach her and be an example to her and then just trust her, which is about the only thing I can do as she becomes more and more her own person and less and less my little baby.

Now I just need to teach her more appropriate ways of expressing her otherness. "HA ha!" won't get her very far in life.

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