We signed Scarlette up to play soccer and we took her to practice, just the three of us, on the field. J told her to run with the ball towards the goal and she kicked it repeatedly in the opposite direction.
“Towards the goal, Scarlette! Towards the goal!” he encouraged her
And she turned, put her hands on her hips and said (sweetly but emphatically) “Yes, I KNOW dat Daddy. But right now I am MAKING MY OWN DECISIONS.”
(So I anticipate that team sports are going to go just really well.)
This has been a theme around here lately, the “Making My Own Decisions” and one that Scarlette feels very strongly about.
Or maybe this is just the first time she has been able to be verbally articulate about it because she did spend a lot of time doing things like “extubating herself from her ventilator” when she weighed less than two pounds.
(They always called her “strong-willed” in the NICU. I should have seen this coming.)
The other day we were in the shoe aisle at Target, because 30% off clearance + an extra 20% off Cartwheel coupon, obviously.
The aisle was pretty full of people and the little girl next to us was attempting to persuade her mother that she needed a pair of glittery sandals for school. Her mother was staying strong in her no when Scarlette apparently decided to help further her new friend’s cause.
“Um, excuse me Little Girl’s Mommy?” she piped up, “I fink she is just twying to tell you dat she wants to make her own decisions because sometimes little girls like to make der own decisions, you know?”
I reminded Scarlette that the little girl’s Mommy had said no and so her Mommy’s decision was the rule.
“This is the new thing,” I explained to the mom.
She smiled at Scarlette and said “So you just want to make your own decisions, huh? How’s that working out for you?”
And Scarlette let out a huge sigh, threw her hands up in the air and said ” WELL NOT SO GOOD, ACTUALLY.”
Enjoy more funny anecdotes in my new book, Anchored: Finding Hope in the Unexpected.
You can read the first chapter for free here and receive a free gift, the free GraceLaced Art print pictured here, as a thank you for investing in our story.
“A remarkable story that reminds us there is no such thing as “ordinary” when it comes to motherhood.” – Lisa-Jo Baker, author of Surprised by Motherhood: Everything I Never Expected about Being a Mom
