Edith has always been a very determined little girl, fiercely independent whilst relentlessly clingy. To say that she knows her own mind is an understatement.
We were challenged by the HIPP Moments Team to share with you examples of how Edith takes over our day and leads the fore – an easy one for me because it’s a CONSTANT thing for her. It’s something that I really treasure (even if it causes me untold woes when she is SO determined to do things HER way) because she’s so fierce and assertive, she knows what she wants and I don’t ever want to see her ability to convey that, erm, dramatically, to wane… though perhaps if she decides to go for a boardroom lifestyle in her future she should find a better way to put it across than throwing things and screaming. Maybe.
I’ll start with the mornings shall I?
First thing in the morning (especially a weekend) Edith has to do one thing: help make the coffee. We have a coffee machine and, even when I don’t want her to, she WILL help me make that coffee, pushing the buttons, pulling the levers and reminding me that she must be held back because the hot water is coming.
Next is getting dress, and whilst she’s never really got much of an issue with the clothes I choose for her (although I can tell when she’s unimpressed because I’m not gifted with a shriek of delight and a “Oh mummy, my coonicorn ((can’t say unicorn!)) skirt!) the shoes are a different matter. You want to wedge a pair of shoes of those tootsies when Edith doesn’t want you to? Good luck. She will take them off anyway, even if you do manage to get them on.
Next is packing her lunchbox for preschool – she’s pretty hands on with this too, rifling through if I tell her I’ve done it already and letting me know what she deems acceptable. As with the shoes, unacceptable candidates are removed with a scowl and a berating over my failures as an adult to read her mind. Edith’s lunch box is never especially fancy, in fact I’ve been known to drop her off with an apology and a side eye because it’s filled with things that I know she will eat and loves, and then I try and pack as much fruit and veg into her as I can when she’s home – unsuccessfully, of course. I have discovered that Edith loves a few unexpected things recently which make me feel SO much better about the state it’s in! From soreen to salami, and my favourite of all the apple, blueberry & banana museli with yoghurt pouch from HiPP organic. I suspect this is a rare occasion where she has been tricked by the packaging and thought this was a usual yoghurt squeezy pouch so decided that she would give it a go – which is usually the hurdle with Edie. The difference is that there is no added sugar and wholegrain cereals, so unlike the simple yoghurt pouches I have put in before that are great for calcium but do have that added sugar, I know that this is something I can feel confident about. It also helps that there are super fun “Buddies” characters on the pouches and she will often select the foxy and the owl or the tiger and the rabbit ones, with an adorable little story to go with each, which would have been PERFECT for getting her to eat them when she was little. All three of the children love the characters and they love listening to stories, something that none of them have lost over the years. I think it’s a misconception that these pouches are exclusively for little ones, in fact Reuben at the age of 6, nearly 7, will still eat the apple and pear puree jars and Toby will have them on his porridge.
Taking a jump and moving on to the post preschool demands and dictations, Edith is a minx when it comes to bath and dinner. She’s quite the lover of luxury bath times already, demanding a story and princess playtime – she’s even started stealing my LUSH bath bombs too demanding “I want the pink baff mummy!” as she goes.
I really hope she never loses this ability to assert herself, it’s so tough to retain that when society tells you it’s “bossy” as a girl to know your own mind. It’s one of the most important things to me as a mother to make sure I walk that fine line between not allowing her to dictate to ME but also not forcing her to stop seeing herself as “The Boss” when it comes to her choices!
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H x
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