Observation 101

Yesterday my sweet AnnaBella was in rare form, starting at 0630. I walked upstairs to my bathroom after making everyone's lunches and  my coffee, to find AnnaBella-  butt naked, hands on hips, facing the toilet:

"HEY MOM!!!! I'm peeing like DAAAADDDY!!!!!". . .  let me remind you, it was 0630.

I assessed the situation before me and 1)was quite proud, she had an impeccably good aim! 2) figured at this point, me yelling would only disrupt the current, accurate, flow and send it in an unwanted direction. So, I calmly said:

"Yes. . . ..Yes you are. . . .just like your dad. . . "

Then after dropping Abigayle off at school and driving back home for round two, part duex, of "getting ready for school" AnnaBella says "Dat Abby!!! God made her sumpin' funny. . .She's a hormone!"

I rebuttled with when girls get to be Abigayle's age they get a little moody, and yes,  she HAS hormones, but she is NOT a hormone." I have to hand it to her though, it was a pretty accurate observation of the situation- HORMONES!

That afternoon when I picked her up from childcare, after a long day, she ran to me, hugged me and said  "I missed you so much, I WUVVV you!!!!"  "Awwww, mommy missed you too, I love YOU!!!!" and we walked happily to the car, waving at her friends and teachers.

Once inside the car I heard  from the back seat, in a low grumble "What da heck took you so frickin' long, woman". . . . . .uh. . .. my neck rotated 180 to look in the back seat, half expecting to see a seething, foaming, antlered beast vomiting pea soup where I had just buckled in my sweet daughter, but nope, it was still AnnaBella-

"Pardon me??" I asked

 "Nuffin! You just took a long time today!"

I apologized, we cuddled when we got home,  and then she was back to her loving self.

Later, I thought about when I was little.  I can assure you with 1,000% accuracy that I never referred to my mother as "woman". Never attempted to pee like my dad. Didn't even know what a hormone was. I did however, dance crazily like Elvis Presley for my own personal audience of one- my sweet grandma, who would encourage all craziness I could muster up at 3 and 4 years old! "You ain't nothing but a hound dog,  crying all the time.  . . "

I collected wagon's full of tent worms by digging my little hands into their webby nests in the sassafras trees and retrieving arm loads of fuzzy, wriggling, soft worms. I ate dirt tacos that I made myself with taco shells and sandbox dirt. I later learned that sandbox was just a big outdoor cat box for our Ke-Ke and Me-Me. Barf-o-rama. I think my intestinal tract is still recovering from those "tacos".

I was much less observant of the world around me than AnnaBella. She picks up on moods, mannerisms, and vocabulary (you think she referred to me as "woman" on her own accord??) Makes me want to sing a country song, you know, the one by Rodney Atkins?

"Driving through town, just my boy and me
With a Happy Meal in his booster seat knowing that he couldn't have the toy 'til his nuggets were gone. A green traffic light turned straight to red I hit my brakes and mumbled under my breath. His fries went a-flying and his orange drink covered his lap. Well, then my four-year-old said a four letter word That started with "s" and I was concerned So I said, "Son, now where'd you learn to talk like that?" He said, "I've been watching you, dad. Ain't that cool?I'm your buckaroo, I wanna be like you.And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are. We got cowboy boots and camo pants. Yeah, we're just alike. Hey, ain't we, dad?I wanna do everything you do. So I've been watching you."

Ok- so I don't have a son,  I  don't drive a truck . . .no chicken nuggets, wouldn't even think of touching camo pants .  . .but the point is the same!  As parents we need to always be cognizant of the little ears and eyes that are on us,  around us. . . Even when you don't think they're listening or watching they are! !!

And it will be repeated,  "Woman!"