Girls

Hubby and I were talking awhile back about the varied temperments of our three daughters. The discussion began with the realization that girls these day aren't necessarily told what they can be when they grow up, as they had been in past generations. But we wondered how our girls would have reacted to a discouraging comment, or an outright prohibition. If they were told that they would not be permitted to follow their life's dream, what would their responses look like?

We agreed that our oldest daughter Samantha, would adapt and set out to discover a new life's dream. She would probably have already put together a back-up plan. She is the one who is never daunted by a new set of circumstances. It has always been a waste of time to ground this girl. She would simply decide she had wanted to spend the day alone in her room after all. Briar Rabbit has nothing on Sam.

Our middle daughter, Emma, is a tad more emotional. She reacts strongly, to say the least, to even a minor disappointment. Around here, we call them meltdowns. And the central theme to our raising of this daughter is to help her control herself emotionally. Because if, and when, she is faced with a catestrophic setback, she will most likely decide that no one loves her and have her thousandth "worst day ever".

That leaves the youngest daugher, Abigail. Everyone who knows her agrees that she will probably do great things, as long as she can be persuaded to use her powers for good. We have struggled to enforce our will with this child ever since she could crawl. I believe that God send her to us in order to deal with our pride. All of our other children, at a very young age, understood the meaning of the word "no". To Abbey, the word is only a suggestion that she takes into consideration. She's very bright, so she knows what activities are likely to result in severe pain or loss, and she avoids those. Everything else is an adventure to be had. So what are you likely to hear when you tell her that she cannot pursue her life's dream? Probably nothing. But you'll find out later that's she's simply gone and done it.

I was sharing these observations with a friend yesterday, and she encouraged me to document them. We spent a few minutes pondering what careers might best suit these three related, but otherwise worlds-apart, sisters. Here's what we came up with. I'd like to read back in about fifteen years and see how close we got.

Of the three, I think Samantha will be the most nurturing mother. I see Emma joining the Peace Corp, or the mission field, travelling the world taking on the burdens of the least fortunate. I can just imagine the letters home. I can't even guess what Abbey will do, but I'm sure it will be something that everyone said couldn't be done.

Don't try this at home, kids.

First, let me state that I truly believe that the Lord intended to bless me when he gave me four step-children. Really, I believe that. But I also know that what God intends as a blessing is usually something we have to work at. And I often wonder if I have completely blown this one.

My oldest stepson's 16th birthday is approaching. Of the four, he was the first to decide to call me Mom. That was when he was about six. They've all since gone back to calling me Teri, and I can't say that I blame them. We've all had a tough time of this.

The Book of Daniel (NBC)

I must say that I wish I could get those two hours back again. What a waste of time. I can’t say that my sensibilities were necessarily offended, although having my intelligence insulted to such a degree should have done it. It's hard to tell if the writer was actually truly serious about some of the plot points. One of the pastor’s questions during a premarital counseling session was “how’s everything in the bedroom”, asked with a perfectly straight face; and one mothers’ only problem with the back seat antics of her teenaged daughter was that the out-of-wedlock babies would be… gasp… Asian! Is that supposed to make the other mom, who doesn't see a problem with the kids just "going out to a movie" (yeah, right!), look reasonable?

Aside from the story itself, the actors portraying the “kids” laid it on so incredibly thick it was impossible to care about them, or even take them seriously. Real people with the kinds of issues portrayed here are worthy of our compassion. But I just couldn’t muster it. This story doesn’t try to make us laugh at ourselves, like I had hoped. (You've got to see "Saved" for that!) This doesn’t even rise to the level of mockery, as the protesters feared. This was nothing but slapstick.

Which is a bummer, cuz I really dig Aidan Quinn. He’s a cutie. ;-)

Abbey's legs

Abbey is six. She's built just like her Dad. Most people don't know that because you can only really tell when they don't have any clothes on. They each have a really long torso, of which I am insanely jealous. By comparison, their legs are pretty short. I caught a glimpse of Abbey running down the hall this afternoon, and remembered what she looked like when she used to run about naked, her little legs going a mile a minute, arms out to the side for balance. I love that kid.