Immature

Immature is the word of the day around here. Imani asked me today why Akila likes to watch Sesame Street and Caillou. I reminded her that Akila is more like a 4 year old than an almost 11 year old. Oh yeah, Imani said.

She also loves shows like High School Musical, but most often, she chooses shows that preschoolers like. It is helpful to remind me that she is a preschooler basically. Although there are many of her behaviors she had when she was in preschool, that I long for now. Like she did not call names, hit, kick or get so incredibly mean.

Mean. That is a word I have been using a lot lately. She is so mean. Mean to the other kids, the neighbors, Michael and I. She just seems so mean and angry all the time. It is hard to be calm and patient when you see her being so mean.

Another constant battle we have had for years, is putting on lotion. I have tried many creative ways of doing it (glitter lotion, letting her choose lotion at girly stores-although this stuff is not good for dry skin, but better than no lotion-, massaging her with the lotion, tried it every time of the day, etc.), but have not had much success. She has incredibly dry skin naturally, and now with summer, and swimming, it is out of control. She has had a cold or allergies for over 3 weeks, and her nose has been raw all the way down to her lip.

She refuses lotion. It is to the point, where she and I just had a lovely wrestling match to get her lotioned up. She raged, hit, ran, and I just stuck with her. There is lotion all over my room (where the struggle began), on my bed, tables. But I got a lot on her, she was wiping it off with a towel when I left to go compose myself, but some good stuff should have soaked in first. If I was a stronger woman, I would gather up the courage to go into this battle each day. But I'm not. I pick and choose my fights. But we are close to the point of bloody skin from dryness. Time to fight I guess.