Suhweet!

So, as you all know, I have four boys.  Four.  As a result, even though I am a girl myself, I am very much used to all things boy.  However, I do have one lone girl.  And even though I am a female, I forget how to deal with all things feminine when it comes to raising her.

One thing I noticed right off the bat with her is that she is quite good at a dirty look.  If she doesn't like someone or something, she can turn on that scowl quite quickly.  In fact, if she is crossed, her little fiestiness comes out like a lion.  It's like this side of her is just prowling around in her heart waiting for a chance to swipe and lunge at something.  Scary!

I also noticed that she has a penchant for over dramatization.  When she cries, she really cries.  Being as though I am a mom to four boys, I am not used to this crying.  I usually tell my boys to button it up quick or else.  No one wants a cry baby period- especially a boy cry baby!  But it isn't quite the same with her.  I do try and have her dry up her tears without much fuss, but the tender side of her needs to have some sort of resolution to her troubles.  She needs to feel heard.  This is also something I am getting used to as God continually reminds me of her frame.

But lastly, one of the main differences has come in how easily her emotions can take over her whole demeanor.  I understand this because I have spent my whole life trying to reign in and steer my own emotions in a good direction.  I may feel one way but that doesn't mean my feelings are reality.  Story of every woman's life eh?  I can't believe how important it is to start training a girl when she is young to differentiate between these things.

Enter sweet and sour.

This little phrase has become quite prevalent in our household lately.  I can't believe how much Elliana has taken to it.  When Elle is listening and being kind, I remind her how sweet she is being.  And we constantly talk about being sweet.  She usually pronounces it "suhweet".  "Mommy, I be suhweet NOT sour.  I want to be suhsweet."  And just the same, when she is having a horrible attitude, overdramatic or just plain nasty (which is very easy for girls to be I'm afraid), she is reminded not to be sour.

Recently I watched an exchange between her and another girl.  This girl is a great girl but the meanness so often seen in little girls had peeked out and Ellie came running to me in tears.  I was quickly brought back to grade school when there was a friend "mad" at me every other week.  Mom, how in the world did you get through that with me!  Anyhow, I was transported back to the mean girl world and was reminded how much I need to train this out of Elle.  She is fully capable of this, and I see it on a daily basis too, as it is part of her.  This is part of the curse.  Women are bent this way through and through whether we like it or not.  Of course Elle needs Christ to redeem her soul but she also needs practice rooting the sour out!

Sweet not sour.

Sweet not sour.

Sweet not sour.

If she can repeat that enough times throughout the day, maybe when she's old, she will remember it.

God knows, she needs to.