Resolve

 The tween has started yet another school. I know. But this is a good one. We tried public. It wasn’t for her. We tried homeschool. She got bored and I was too busy with the toddler. So now she’s in a Montessori school. She’s more confident and is challenged to face conflict as there are only 10 kids in the class and only three girls total. I knew that it was the right spot for her when the teacher told me that they had given her the nickname of “Madame President”. 

The kid is beyond her years. As she should be. She’s been through some things. 

Yesterday she came home and threw a little bit of a fit because she and her friend had an argument. I told her she needed to go upstairs until she was less

emotional  and was ready to really talk about it. After about ten minutes, she came downstairs, took a deep breath and said, “Mom, I think I’m just frustrated because so and so and I have had several arguments and I’m just not sure how to resolve the issue.”

This child is 11. When I was 11, I was playing with Barbies. She is so much further along than I was at that age. I’m so proud of that, but I’m also sad that she had to grow up so fast and learn how to deal with and control her emotions so quickly. But I guess that’s more of a blessing than a curse. 

There are moments in the midst of my frustration with her and her emotions that I so clearly see myself and my mother. I struggled so much with school and took things so personally, just like she does. I have to remind myself of that when I get frustrated when she knocks on our door at night to talk about girl drama or say that she’s sick and can’t go to school. 

I did the exact same thing. 

When it happens, I try my best to take a breath and talk to her when I’m less emotional. If she can do it, I certainly should be able to. Right?