Sweet and Sour

When I want to "splurge" while ordering some Chinese food, I'll get Sweet and Sour Chicken. That sweet sauce, with just the slight tang of sour melds so nicely with the fried chicken and fresh veggies. Yes, I like sweet and sour in my Chinese food, but in my child?.....not quite as much.

Oh, I love the sweetness, and not a day goes by that Abby doesn't ooze incredible sweetness. Nobody can melt my heart faster than that little girl. At her sweetest she is a force to be reckoned with. There isn't too much better than one of her hugs, she literally wraps herself around you and infuses you with her love. The hugs may only be topped by one of her spontaneous, "I love you"'s - usually delivered just when you need it. Yes, Abby is, for the most part, sweetness personified.

But....then there's the sour times. Although they are normally short, they are potent. I know how they can sap my strength and leave me incredibly discouraged. Phrases like: She knows better! and Enough is enough! are usually followed by questions like: What is going on with her? and How do I make her listen - without crushing her spirit?

This afternoon I got a call from Abby's teacher, asking me to talk to Abby, since she was being so stubborn she was going to miss the bus home. I was not happy, and I let Abby know that. Unfortunately, Abby was excited that she got to talk to mom at school and all she heard was, "I'm on my way to pick you up." With an, "Okay, see you soon!" she handed the phone back to her teacher. Once I got there I discovered that things had not gotten better after my call, and although Abby apologized very sweetly, it had lost it's potency. Without a change in her behavior, "I'm sorry" becomes hollow.

Sweet and sour.

I suppose that we are all a bit of both, aren't we? I have some ideas on how to deal with the "sour" of my little darling, but right now I'm so very glad that we ended the day with a whole lot of sweet.

Now that's a whole lot of sweet!