One year ago..

I wrote this post one year ago and really not much has changed. I still struggle with Stella's willfulness and creativity yet still trying to set boundaries:

There is something very powerful about having a daughter. Most of the time I can not put into words how I feel about either of my children. I have been thinking about Stella for awhile...let me explain.

She is a complicated girl.



Stella is exceedingly bright. School is and does come very easy to her. With that said, she can get bored very easy. She doesn’t need to spend the time that some other children may need to learn something new. She picks everything up very quickly.

We had my mother in law's car a couple weeks ago and she has an 80’s CD in there. We listened to “Video Killed the Radio Star”. Stella wanted the song put on repeat she loved it so much. After a couple of listens, she sang it. The whole song. She picks things up very quickly.



Stella is also extremely creative. She loves to paint, draw, act and pretend. She is extremely verbal. I think I have written that on a two hour car trip to Tampa, Stella can talk the entire time. I. Am. Not. Kidding. She also has trouble falling asleep at night. I describe it as her need to “empty her head”. She used to make lists, “I like mustard, I do not like cole slaw”. Everything she was thinking while she was lying in bed, she had to say.



When we clean up before naps or in the evening, Stella doesn’t always help. She will lie on the couch and explain (in detail) all the reasons Thomas should clean up and not her. Sometimes she makes a good point.



As her mother, I try to still teach her that there are times when she will have to pay attention for longer than she wants to. However, I can not help but feel like I am exposing a cruel secret to her. Shhhh! Sometimes I have to do things I do not want to! I admire Stella. I love listening to her thoughts. I want Stella to embrace her creativity and individuality because that is what makes her the rock star she is. I also want her to function in school and be able to listen to her parents.



Stella could be described as a wild child. Not in a running around in an uncontrollable way but in an up-for-anything way. Stella would dance in front of a large crowd and she often asks if she can have pink hair. While Thomas has decided that he would like to work at Starbucks when he grows up, Stella still has her heart on becoming a princess or a bird. Whichever.

I guess I am trying to tame my wild child without boxing her in.