Trauma According to Anna

Trauma:  

An emotional wound; an event or situation that causes great distress and disruption

Oh, my sweet Anna is so much fun.  I delight to know her more every day.  But living with her is like living inside a dramatic play.  She goes from comedy to tragedy within minutes.  Giggles to tears, laughter to fury, independence to neediness all within the span of half an hour.  Maybe I'm too suspicious, but I do believe she is trying to manipulate - playing the "poor baby" card to get her way or to garner sympathy.  Behold - a list of the sorts of things that make her jut out her bottom lip and whimper, throw her head back to wail in rage, or fake cry with pitiful weeping sounds as she runs to us with her arms lifted so we'll pick her up.

Trauma according to Anna:

• When I choose the wrong sippy cup for her
• When I make her wear matching socks
• When Tupperware lids won't snap on
• When her TV show ends
• When her napkin rips
• When she is cold
• When Noah wears a blanket and calls himself a ghost
• When she gets marker on her hands
• When she can't find her sippy cup
• When I take my chap-stick back
• When she doesn't want to eat and whines, "I can't do it!"
• When a tube of wrapping paper won't stop rolling back up
• When her teapot won't make its pouring sound
• When I won't let her wear her shoes inside
• When I wouldn't let her bring the umbrella in the house
• When her M&M's stained your hands
• When I startle her by catching her in some disobedient act
• When her Lego tower falls b/c she built it too high
• When we put water in her cup
• When Noah uses her name in songs 

And my personal favorite:

• When she asked for a napkin and I gave her a napkin - but what she really wanted was a paper towel!

I kid you not, it was enough to make her melt/dribble out of her chair and run from the room in agony.   Oh, the drama of it all.

Awhile back, I laughed at FB banter between my sister-in-law, Amy, and her daughter.  I commented that I needed a teenage daughter of my own to match wits and crack up with.  Amy answered back with a line that got me a little choked up.  She said, "Just blink and you will have one."  Oh. So true and aching, I know.  I DO know what she means.  But I do believe in a way that I did blink and do have a pint-sized teenager.  I tell Josh that living with Anna's daily emotional whirlwinds is like dealing with PMS preschool style.  That girl is a trip!