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My nine-year-old daughter, Morgan, has been independent and assertive even before she made her grand entrance into the world. No really….during my later months of pregnancy, she kicked me so hard I was convinced that I had internal bruising. When she finally arrived (after the doctor un-wedged her foot from my ribcage), she came out with fully defined quad muscles. I knew I had a soccer player on my hands. Even the delivery nurse said, “Ooooh…honey…you’ve got a feisty one on your hands!” after Morgan proceeded to throw the tiny oxygen mask off her face only minutes after birth.
Since that day, she has stayed true to herself and has let me know on many occasions that she can do things herself and doesn’t need my help.
My son, Dylan, on the other hand, was perfectly content staying in the womb and was in no rush to leave his mom. Even after he was born, he remained a “momma’s boy” and came to me for comfort, advice and guidance. I have noticed, however, a change in him since he turned 7. In the privacy of our home, he still looks for my approval and talks with me about his questions and concerns. On his first day of second grade though, I walked him into school (just like all the other parents), and was intending to go with him to his new class. He looked up at me and said, “It’s cool, Mom, you can go ahead and go.”
What?! He wanted me to leave. Oh…my heart!
Before his soccer game the other day, my husband and I were talking a little strategy with him and he exclaimed, “I know…I know…we’ve been through this a million times!”
I guess we’d been told.
I understand from friends with older kids that this push back only gets stronger as they get older. In fact, I remember pushing back a few times (or a few thousand times) on my own parents. I am so proud of the smart, independent kids they are becoming, but why does it sting just a little bit at the same time?
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