I am always excited to discuss things like boobs, hair, kissing, and even periods with a four year old. It’s like the one time in your life you have to explain and really HAVE to say the right thing and in the right way. I’ve tried the “I’ll tell you when you are older” and “noneya bizzness”, but learned the hard way that this is NOT the thing to do when the constant questions of “why” are all around. Just a warning that if you dare say “none of your business”, you end up with a munchkin talking about how guys don’t have to wear shirts because they don’t ‘grow boobs’. Or announcing that “mommy wears a diaper” after busting into the bathroom during a private moment. I assure you it was NOT a diaper and I sincerely hope she did not take this announcement to school with her. So, instead of taking the time to explain to her that it is a SECRET woman thing that I will torture her with when she is teenager and she, therefore, must be quiet, I shooed her and allowed her to make up her own idea…obviously that was my bad.
Lately we have been arguing about the ever present need to ‘investigate’ the nether regions of her little world. Ugh. I’ve tried to tell her it isn’t appropriate, that it looks bad, that it is private…I’ve tried smacking the hands, ignoring, blowing it off, laughing…NOTHING seems to work. Finally in a frustrated moment, I asked her for the 500th time WHY she has to constantly pick. She said “because it is mine.” Blah…Smartass. There are some times when you just have to walk away. You just have to hide the grin, suppress the laugh, and give yourself a second to pull it together because you know that laughing will just make the situation worse. This was one of those times. I have decided it is just a phase and will continue to give her the disapproving look and try to ignore it. Sigh…compromise is a word that has been added to the ‘Kate dictionary’ since Mini Me came along. A friend told me to choose my battles. At the time I was thinking of how that didn’t make sense…I am bigger and smarter and the law needs to be laid down from the get go. Ha…hindsight…it was/is great advice!
