The holy grail of parenting

What a day! I'm sitting and relaxing for the first time since 8 this morning. Doctor appointment, soccer practice, playtime at the park, lunch, chores, trip to Costco, swim lessons, kickboxing class, dinner, free ice cream cones for the kids at Weinerschnitzel and finally now. My favorite time of the day!

The day started off with Morgan's five year checkup. Yes, she picked me. No, I'm certain it wasn't because when she was making her decision, I was all waving my arms and pointing at me, mouthing "me, me". That had nothing to do with it. Anyway - height and weight are right on track. She is trending more towards my height and will probably be somewhere around 5' 6" or 5'7", fully grown (so still shorter than me, but close to my height). We talked about starting Kindergarten and what to expect with regards to behavior. Apparently, it's going to get worse before it gets better. The pediatrician said that the first six months or so of Kindergarten are tough because she's now exposed to a broader, more diverse crowd, who's parenting styles and rules may be quite different than ours. He said that she's going to have a hard time with it and will likely try to get away with what she sees her classmates getting away with. He said it normally takes until February or March for parents to get their kids reigned in. OH HAPPY DAY! He said it's a repeat when they start first grade, but it only takes a month to get back on top of it because they remember. He says that 2nd through 4th graders are the best. Maybe we can just fast forward a few years?? No? Aww, you guys are no fun!

During this discussion, I brought up the fact that we've already talked about the fact that others have different rules, but that doesn't change our rules. The doctor agreed with me and I saw the expression on Morgan's face turn to pure defeat. I know that this is only temporary and that she's going to be testing us for the better part of a YEAR (someone pass me the wine), but it was good to see SOMETHING sink in.

We talked about the lying, attitude, tone of voice, disrespectful issues that we've been dealing with lately. He says that she's old enough to realize that she's lying and that it's not okay, however it is normal. He reinforced, for the little girl's listening ears, that it's not okay and that there should be consequences for lying.

We also talked about the fact that Morgan will sometimes regress into baby talk, and he attributes this to being the oldest. He explained to me how hard it is to be the oldest and to have to be more responsible, and that sometimes she thinks that if she acts like a baby she'll be able to get away with stuff. I just laughed. I told him that whenever she talks like a baby, I tell her that I'm not going to talk to her like that and if she wants to talk to me like a five year old, we'll talk. He smiled and said that's exactly what I should do. (*whew*). We also touched on the fact that she gravitates towards older kids (I did also). He let me know that for now, it's okay. He said around 4th grade is when I need to start being concerned. He said that's when it usually starts to cause a problem for girls (that's when it did for me too). Hello apple that has not fallen far from my tree.

Then I hit him with the one that really grates my nerves so badly. It's a tough one because while you want your child to be self-confident, you also want to teach them modesty and being considerate of others. And at this age, this seems really hard to teach. I've explained to Morgan that when she brags about something she can do or has done to someone else, that she might make them feel bad. I've explained to her that sometimes it's even nicer for someone to recognize something she's done WITHOUT HER SHOVING IT IN THEIR FACE. She just doesn't really seem to get it and I'm nearly at a loss as to new things to try. We want her to have confidence in herself, but in the right way. So, after I pour this all out on the table for the doctor to consider, he makes a passing comment that I'm SURE didn't go unheard by a certain five year old.

He said, "Well, this is going to be an issue for her. I'm sure she will be a lot smarter, a lot prettier, a lot taller, a lot more....than other kids."

And then I thought to myself: My daughter is the smartest, prettiest, tallest, best! Wow!!

I know it's wrong. I know I should be downplaying it and be all humble and "oh, no she's just average" and stuff. But, as a parent, isn't this pretty much the holy grail?? From a DOCTOR nonetheless. Haha! Okay, okay. I'm mature enough to have kept these thoughts in my head (at least until now), but MAN, was that good to hear!

He helped me emphasize what I've been working with her, so as to not let those comments get too firmly planted in her head, by letting her know that she only needs to worry about what she is doing and she doesn't need to brag to other people about what she's able to do. At this point, though, I'm not sure she was listening.

With all our questions answered, it was time to get on with the main show. Urine sample, a needle stick anemia test, four shots, and a TB prick test. BRING IT ON. :) Lance worked from home today so that I didn't have to bring Bennett with me to the appointment. That was a BIG help.

1. Urine sample. Who knew that this concept caused such "stage fright" for little ones? The doctor even warned me that most kids can't do it the first time. Well, we're not dealing with most kids, now are we? Urine sample done.

2. Anemia test was fairly painless and Morgan really liked watching the blood come out of her finger. Weird.

3. Four shots. Okay, this is where I look at my daughter and go, huh? This girl who cries if the wind accidentally blows a leaf the wrong way across her leg? She didn't cry AT ALL for any of the shots. By the last one, she was definitely all antsy and all no, no. But she took them all like a champ and didn't cry at all. Not one little tear. Hooray!

4. TB test. Nearly killed her. LOL! I realized, though, that she was watching this big needle go into her arm and that can't be good. As soon as she looked away, she was all good.

Hey Kindergarten?? We're ready!!