Feisty Repartee

Little Miss Independent

My baby is four, almost four and a half years old.

Despite her apparent youth, she is definitely going on twenty-five.

From pouring her own milk to getting her own snacks, she is all about doing it herself.

My mother introduced her to peanut butter and grape jelly sandwiches a couple of months ago. After my mom left, Wee One began to make her own sandwiches for afternoon snacks, sans the peanut butter. Thus, she has been making grape jelly sandwiches.

Despite the screaming sticky mess, I recognize and understand this need for independence and have provided paper plates, squeezable grape jelly, and lots of napkins.

Last evening I spent some time enjoying the glorious weather on the back patio. The girls accompanied me outside. Wee One played on the swing set and Sweet One ran around with the dogs.

As the sun began to set, the next door neighbors came out with drinks to join me. While we visited Wee One went inside to go potty.

While I was not watching the clock, I was aware several minutes had passed and went to check on the little one. The light was on in the bathroom and I could hear the water running.

When I opened the bathroom door water was just beginning to flow over the top of the tub onto the floor and she was floating face up, eyes closed in the tub.

In one motion, I snatched her out of the tub and cut the water off, completely soaking myself in the process. For my efforts, I was rewarded with a scolding from my younger child. Before I could ask her what the heck she was doing, she was on my ass for what the heck I thought I was doing.

When she and I had calmed down, she finally told me all she wanted to do was "take a nice relaxing bath..."

Geez.

Her independence is going to be the end of me.

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