And When She Was Bad, She Was Very, Very, Not That Bad
Yesterday, Allison Clare had a temper tantrum of Vesuvian proportions. It started out with her collapsing in squealing fury on the sidewalk. I carried her inside, where she lay on her back on the hardwood floor in the corner, kicked her heels, and rolled from side to side with the force of her bloodcurdling screams. The source of her anguish? That I cruelly refused to allow her to run out into the street.*
I talk to my mom several times a week, and often get her perspective on AC-related questions. However, on this issue, I am getting the sense that her experience with raising me might have required very different skills from the present challenge of Allison Clare. As my mom recently told Sam, she remembers two times from my childhood when I was really, really bad.
When I was about fifteen months old, the first story goes, she took me to the photographer.
"And . . .?"
"And Tara would not--just would not!--smile."
"Oh. And the other time?"
"I took her to the butcher shop when she was three or four and the lady gave her a lollipop. And she refused to say thank you."
"Oh."
"And so I made her give the lollipop back."
Sigh. No screaming, no tears, no rolling around. No contest.
*Of course, when Allison Clare had decided it was over, she climbed onto my lap, smiled, and kissed me, still quivering with sobs. The child is a mystery.
posted by Tara | 9:23 PM
4 Comments:
Oh Tara, I love, love, love, love reading your blog. This was the most adorable post ever. And wow! It sounds like you were a little angel, or perhaps your angelic side is all that remains in your mother's memory.
You know, yeah, I wonder if we're going to forget all this stuff that's right in our face right now because that's what our children are going through at this minute.
That's what blogs are for, perhaps -- to help us remember? HA!
Very cute story.
The funny thing is, I don't think my mom thinks I was particularly angelic. She tells these two stories as evidence of how, even though I was pretty good, I could still be REALLY bad. Uh-huh. Now, with Allison Clare, I think she is getting a sense of how easy she had it! (My sister was almost three when we adopted her, so she was mostly past the tantrum-throwing stage.)
When I read that she kissed you, that just touched me so much! It's amazing to me when kids get old enough to express affection in such a concrete way. Your child's first kiss must be one of life's greatest things.
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