It is starting

    Well I knew it was bound to happen and yet I find myself unprepared for hormone swings. Last week we struggled through. It wasn't a yelling angry week but lots of resistance and eye rolling. It is minor things like adjustments to outfits that she puts on. We recently bought her age appropriate white high heels but still cool and I explained that they were for church and special occasions. She took to wearing them around the house, but heels aren't good for feet so I indulged this a little but would ask her to take them off after awhile. I receive huffs and eye rolling in return.  One day she put them on as she headed out the door for girl scouts, I think in hopes I wouldn't notice, but I made a point to be gentle and calm and ask her to change. She got mad at me, and got teary. Some things aren't worth fighting over but I knew this was just the beginning.

    Later in the week another inappropriate outfit issue arose and again Emma got teary and mad. Then she spouted something to the effect of "stop trying to run my life".  Deep Breath... I asserted that as her Mom it is my job to be in charge and guide the decisions she makes. I know that I have a fine line to walk and I know that I don't want to start an adversarial cycle. That situation deflated and the week ended. Yesterday Em curled up next to me on the sofa and  said "I love you Momma". Sigh... 

     I take very seriously my responsibility of raising her and her sisters, but sometimes I wonder If I am just riding the wave of activities and not really assessing if these are the things that are going to build her into a strong Christian woman. It is starting and I need to be paying attention.

When lights are out

    An interesting situation has gradually become clear over the last couple of weeks. Our youngest 3 share the biggest bedroom and they are conspiring when the lights go out. Bridget and Megan have story time and prayers and go to bed first. We read a novel, currently "Anne of Green Gables", to Emma and Rachael in the living room and they get to bed usually 30 minutes after the little ones. Not surprisingly the evening plans seem to begin when Rachael enters the room.
    After the kids go to bed I usually get a few things done and then I settle in to watch TV or read a book. There are plenty of nights that Jim or I have to tell the girls to stop talking or turn off flashlights. I assumed this was the standard bedtime talking but it turns out that the girls have planned activities when the lights go out. One night I discovered them out of bed with flashlights, cleaning their room in secret. The next week the same thing happened and they confessed that one night each week they clean in the dark.
     Rachael, Megan and Bridget all made TVs and remotes out of construction paper which they hung by their beds for Friday night movie nights. And last night was apparently exercise night. I found Rachael and Megan doing push-ups on their bunks after lights out.
   As much as I want them to be falling asleep, I don't think that I can complain about cleaning, exercising and pretending to watch movies together as long as they are relatively quiet. Truly I am enjoying that the girls are doing this together. So often I find myself worried and disappointed about how they treat each other. So it makes me glad to see and hear them working and playing together. They are forming sisterly bonds all on their own in the darkness of their room.