My name is Randi, and I have a 5 year old creative drama queen. Oh, sure, most 5 year olds are creative and dramatic at times (it comes with the age), but seriously. My daughter is a teenager stuck in a 5 year old’s body. I thought the NICU nurses were crazy when they told me she’d be like this when she was only 24 hours old, but lo and behold, they were spot on. She is Dramatic - with a capital D.
I’ll admit, when she was younger (2-3ish), this trait really bothered me, and I was upset by it. And I also know the reason. When I was little, I was definitely creative - imaginary friends, could entertain myself, dreamed of being on Broadway and acting - but I wasn’t dramatic like she is. My parents were told things like “Randi is so polite!” and “Randi is just so well behaved!” and “Randi acts so grown up!” I was the kid you could take into nice restaurants at 4, 5 and 6, and I would sit politely with my napkin on my lap and use the very best of manners. And I was that kid who’s mom could look at her and she would bust into tears. I was creative, but sensitive and quiet as well. I just always assumed that if I ever had a daughter, she would be like me. And when my daughter arrived and looked identical to me, I just knew that would be how it was! I never dreamed she would instead be a perfect blend of my two sisters. She may look like me, but she has Sarah’s temper and Cecily’s adultness. It’s scary!
It’s taken me awhile to realize that this trait that I so despised for awhile is more than just a trait. It’s who she is. I can't change this about her any more than I can change her eye color or her height. My daughter looks at the world differently than I do, and once I started looking at it from her perspective, I’ve found that I really enjoy her view. She’s not easy to raise, and she’s definitely not easy to discipline. I’ve discovered that if something goes wrong, more times than not it will be met with her having a meltdown and declaring that “Nothing EVER goes RIGHT!!!!!” (while falling on the floor and being SUPER dramatic.) And I’ve also discovered that “something wrong” can be anything from not finding the exact shade of pink that she wanted to color something, to actual, real life problems. To her, they are all the same. We have to put her in her room - alone - to calm down when a meltdown starts, because the number people around is proportionally equal to the massiveness of the meltdown. She loves an audience, and loves to perform. She also has a bad habit of saying whatever comes into that head of hers, whether appropriate or not. Sometimes a look will bring about an apology, but sometimes it takes a little more. She just hasn’t learned to think about what comes out of her mouth before she says it. Opinionated, that one is!
But I’ve also discovered that she views everyone and everything around her as way fancier than it really is. In her mind, we don’t just have a nice house - we have the most wonderfulest house EVER! I’m not just her mom, I’m a princess who dresses in pretty dresses all the time. And she’s not just Cadence, she’s CADENCE!!! who is always decked out in sparkles, tiaras, clothes that are “just fabulous!!” and has spotlights following her. She’s one of the most creative children I’ve ever met, and has more personality in her little finger than I had in my entire body at that age. She couldn't care less about gymnastics, t-ball, soccer or anything else physical, but has taken dance, auditioned for Annie, is about to start art lessons and told me she wants to learn to play the violin. She does fine academically, but has to jazz up all of her papers. I’ve seen pictures drawn in the margins, curly cues added to letters in her name, and 10 times more detail than was required put into her drawings. Nothing about her can be normal or boring, even school work!
She amazes me, and when I stopped thinking of her as being “bad,” or “difficult,” and I started just seeing her as “Cadence” instead, I was able to really see how amazing she is. It’s taken me years to see it, but I’m sure that she’s taught me way more about life than I could ever teach her. And I love her for that. The next few years won’t be easy, but they will definitely be interesting, and I wouldn't change it for anything.
I’ll admit, when she was younger (2-3ish), this trait really bothered me, and I was upset by it. And I also know the reason. When I was little, I was definitely creative - imaginary friends, could entertain myself, dreamed of being on Broadway and acting - but I wasn’t dramatic like she is. My parents were told things like “Randi is so polite!” and “Randi is just so well behaved!” and “Randi acts so grown up!” I was the kid you could take into nice restaurants at 4, 5 and 6, and I would sit politely with my napkin on my lap and use the very best of manners. And I was that kid who’s mom could look at her and she would bust into tears. I was creative, but sensitive and quiet as well. I just always assumed that if I ever had a daughter, she would be like me. And when my daughter arrived and looked identical to me, I just knew that would be how it was! I never dreamed she would instead be a perfect blend of my two sisters. She may look like me, but she has Sarah’s temper and Cecily’s adultness. It’s scary!
It’s taken me awhile to realize that this trait that I so despised for awhile is more than just a trait. It’s who she is. I can't change this about her any more than I can change her eye color or her height. My daughter looks at the world differently than I do, and once I started looking at it from her perspective, I’ve found that I really enjoy her view. She’s not easy to raise, and she’s definitely not easy to discipline. I’ve discovered that if something goes wrong, more times than not it will be met with her having a meltdown and declaring that “Nothing EVER goes RIGHT!!!!!” (while falling on the floor and being SUPER dramatic.) And I’ve also discovered that “something wrong” can be anything from not finding the exact shade of pink that she wanted to color something, to actual, real life problems. To her, they are all the same. We have to put her in her room - alone - to calm down when a meltdown starts, because the number people around is proportionally equal to the massiveness of the meltdown. She loves an audience, and loves to perform. She also has a bad habit of saying whatever comes into that head of hers, whether appropriate or not. Sometimes a look will bring about an apology, but sometimes it takes a little more. She just hasn’t learned to think about what comes out of her mouth before she says it. Opinionated, that one is!
But I’ve also discovered that she views everyone and everything around her as way fancier than it really is. In her mind, we don’t just have a nice house - we have the most wonderfulest house EVER! I’m not just her mom, I’m a princess who dresses in pretty dresses all the time. And she’s not just Cadence, she’s CADENCE!!! who is always decked out in sparkles, tiaras, clothes that are “just fabulous!!” and has spotlights following her. She’s one of the most creative children I’ve ever met, and has more personality in her little finger than I had in my entire body at that age. She couldn't care less about gymnastics, t-ball, soccer or anything else physical, but has taken dance, auditioned for Annie, is about to start art lessons and told me she wants to learn to play the violin. She does fine academically, but has to jazz up all of her papers. I’ve seen pictures drawn in the margins, curly cues added to letters in her name, and 10 times more detail than was required put into her drawings. Nothing about her can be normal or boring, even school work!
She amazes me, and when I stopped thinking of her as being “bad,” or “difficult,” and I started just seeing her as “Cadence” instead, I was able to really see how amazing she is. It’s taken me years to see it, but I’m sure that she’s taught me way more about life than I could ever teach her. And I love her for that. The next few years won’t be easy, but they will definitely be interesting, and I wouldn't change it for anything.
_____________________________
Things I'm thankful for:
1) Cadence
2) Spunk. It would be a boring place without it.
3) Her attitude. It will serve her well one day
4) Her love
5) Crayon drawings
1 comment:
You know, now that you are getting her figured out, this one will be totally different!!!!
The world just wouldn't be the same if Cadence wasn't CADENCE!!!
Can't wait to see ya'll next month!
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