A Whole New Level

She looks sweet, doesn't she. Well, looks can be deceiving.

Stubbornness and just being difficult is a trait that runs deep in my family. So much so that "jackass" is considered a term of affection.

Not kidding.

The family tells stories about my brother with a carton of eggs, a fan and a hot summer day. It's funny now, but I have a feeling that my brother came close to going to foster care that day.

My cousin spent five full days sitting at the kitchen table because she refused to do her homework. After realizing she had to sit there all weekend, she finally relented.

I still remember vividly Katya standing at the top of the stairs yelling "go ahead" (hands on her hips and everything) when I told her she had to do whatever it was she needed to do or get a spanking. Katya also had such a sassy mouth (a trait that Alexis unfortunately inherited) that she knew intimately the taste of liquid soap from having her mouth washed out several times.

So the fact that Alexis would rather have hot pokers shoved under her fingernails than do what I want her to do is not a huge surprise. She feels the need to constantly push everyone's buttons, keep a good arm's length distance for her "personal space", and is having a hard time learning to "share" with other kids. But when she feels that she is close to foster care herself... she is the sweetest thing ever. All smiles and hugs.

She is wearing me out! The girl is only three!!

I wonder which ancestor is responsible for putting this mutant gene into our DNA. And seriously, why hasn't it died out yet?

So, preschool is in Alexis' near future. I think I found one that might work and it is close to my Aunt Ginger's house. There is an opening at the Montessori school close to my house, but Ginger and I agree that Alexis' innate need to push boundaries would not work well with a "learn as you go" school. The girl needs some boundaries.

Hopefully I can get her signed up today and she can start on Monday. I hope. It would only be part time mornings, but it should help her put her creative mind to better uses like learning how to cooperate with others, use scissors, write her name other than how best to try and subvert my authority.