Hollie’s a
picky eater. She’s got the foods she likes and she sticks with them. She’s an
only child. She likes her alone time. She’s also an independent child. She
doesn’t like being bossed around by me and Charlie.
More than
once on vacation we found ourselves in a standoff with Hollie.
Over going
to play golf. She didn’t want to. We did.
Over leaving
the wave pool at the water park. She didn’t want to. We did.
Over going
out for dinner. She didn’t want to. We did.
Over eating
what she’d ordered. She refused.
Over leaving
the Hilton Resort Orlando after checkout on Thursday. We had to.
We fight over
brushing her hair.
We fight over
brushing her teeth.
These days
it seems like we fight about pretty much everything. Which is a good
thing. It means she trusts us enough to state her desires with some confidence
they’ll be met.
It means she
has specific desires and is learning how to rationally explain those desires.
I ask
questions to get her to elaborate on her logic. I sometimes
let her win.
Being willing to fight means
she’s assertive enough to get what she wants. It means she won't be bullied, go along with the crowd, or believe her wants don’t
matter.
Then, last
week, I read this
blog post about letting a little girl say “no.” And I did what I think the
blogger wanted me to do, I really thought about it.
