Yesterday I told my three-year-old that it was time to leave the play place we’d be tearing around for the past couple hour. She told me “no, I’m busy creating a dynasty.” She actually was using a magnet to make designs, but who am I to say that’s not how one makes a dynasty?
In this act of utter defiance I was proud.
She’s got a vocabulary most people wish their first graders had and is so very clever. And I reminded myself that the things that make her a pain in the ass are also things that are going to make her successful as hell as an adult. She’s got never-ending energy. An imagination that won’t stop. A commanding tone and vocabulary. She has no idea how to take no for an answer, and her negotiation skills are off the chain for only being three years old. And boy, can she work a room.
I always joke that she’s been this way since she was just a glimmer in my eye. It took us a number of years of infertility treatments for her sassy soul to decide it finally wanted to join us, and then after all that she decided to be breech and put me into labor five weeks early. She’s always been strong and she’s always wanted to do things her way.
These past three years being her momma out in the world I’m watching these strengths translate into short term challenges that are actually long term blessings.
Get it Girl
I’ll never have to worry about her going after what she wants. Whether it’s that extra five minutes of watching other kids play barbies on YouTube (why is this even a thing?) or wearing a princess outfit with snow boots to the grocery store, she currently pushes until she gets it (“it” usually being timeout).
If she’s passionate enough about something I know she will work for it. I know that this drive is going to translate into her going after the job she wants, or the relationship she deserves. If she wants it, she will do what it takes to make it happen. She will, without a doubt, wear whatever obstacle is in her way down and get what she wants.
Never-ending Wonder
The world is full of wonders to my sweet girl, and this causes us to be late most of the time. If I had all the time in the world I’d love to lay in a field with her all day and talk about why birds fly, what makes the sky blue and how dandelion seeds are able to hitch a ride on the breeze. She has so many questions and demands answers in the moment which makes things hard when we are on a schedule. This yearning for knowledge and excitement about the world around her is definitely going to take her places. Combine it with her imagination? Who knows, maybe one day the two of those things together will inspire an invention or cure. Even if not, I know that in any business, out of the box thinking is always useful.
Chart-Topping Confidence
Every night after she’s told it’s time for bed, she sings herself to sleep. Not sweet quiet lullabies, but loud, dramatic productions that often include arm flailing and vibrato. Her dad and I giggled last night as we heard her belt out “they all loooooooove me because I’m THEAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!” Hell yea we do girl!!! She knows what she has to offer and shares it with the world with no hesitation.
I pray this confidence stays. Even just half of it. I want her to always love and know exactly who she is, just as she does today. I know how cruel the world can be and this momma bear doesn’t do well with mean girls. I pray she walks with her head high and dresses how she wants and doesn’t give a damn.
Her Heart is Her Compass
This is the thing I’m most proud of, and why at the end of the day I know I won’t have to worry. We always joke that Thea was built to be a leader, whether it be of a gang in prison or as a CEO of a fortune 500. The older she gets, the more I’m getting glimpses of her sweet heart. She truly cares for and loves others. She shares (for the most part) without asking, and worries when she sees others are sad. I’m starting to worry less about her incarceration and get excited about her professional future. She’s going to be an amazing boss, wife, mom, and friend.
I’m excited to see what life brings for her. And I honestly hope I’m still alive and haven’t dropped dead from exhaustion and frustration before she full on makes it. If I am still alive by then, her dad and I will be living the high life in a posh nursing home that she will be paying for due to her impressive boss babe skills.
This post originally appeared on Living the High Life. It has been reprinted with permission.
