Too Early for PMS?

There was a Girl Scout Rally at the school this evening. I took Emma her lunch today because I forgot to put it in her backpack. So I was there when the nice lady came around and gave all the little kindergarten girls BIG stickers and told them how much fun Daisies would be.

Let me just say, I've done my stint with the Girl Scouts. I myself was a Brownie for a year. I was actually the Daisy troop leader for Alli. I was Co-Leader of her Brownie troop and the next year I was Cookie Mom. I did nothing what so ever but drop Abby off at her troop meetings. But I am done with Girl Scouts. It was fun while it lasted, a neat experience, it works for some people, but not for me or my girls.

"Mommy, mommy, mommy, can we go to school? I want to be a Girl Scout!" In front of God and all the neighbors at the bus stop.

"Umm, no. Girl Scouts is not going to be your thing. You're already busy with gymnastics and tae kwon do. Plus, (in a whisper) it's not really that much fun."

"Yes it is, the lady said it was and Mrs. B said it was and I WANT TO BE A DAFFODIL!"

"Emma, I know you think you might like it, but really I know you, and you will not like it. And you have a pretty busy schedule already. I just don't think it's possible."

See this is me trying to be calm and reason with the unreasonable child. Because we're still in the company of others. But calm and reasonable does not work with the unreasonable child, who decides to huff and puff, run to the house, scream YOU ARE THE MEANEST MOM IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD, and slam the door.

To which I reply with a chuckle and a typical sarcastic remark of Oh, it's okay, I'll whoop her when I get inside. I did take a little longer than necessary to enter the house, inhaled some fresh air, admired the weeds in the flower garden, counted to 200, collected my cool so as to not do what I had threatened.

After much crying and moaning on her part, extreme calmness on mine (I don't know what came over me today, but it was a miracle!) I think I finally conveyed the point of Daisies not being a part of our lives. I have known the girl her whole life and I have a pretty good feel for what will work and what won't. And for her, really, Daisies was going to be "dumb and boring" by the second meeting. And when we got down to the bottom of it, she just wants to go camping and have smores. That's it. And she let me know that she is not confident enough in her father's ability to build a campfire or my ability to purchase marshmallows.

Eventually all was right in the universe and we were on the way to gymnastics.

sniff, sniff, sob, sob

"Emma, what's wrong?"

"I"m not telling you."

"Emma I thought we talked about this and had an understanding."

" I WANT MY GREEN BALL THAT I HAD IN MCKINNEY AND IT'S LOST FOREVER!"

Oh, hell.

Finally get her settled down on this episode by promising to try and find a new green ball, then a little breakdown when her coach asks her name, then another cryfest because I "broke the driving rule" and went through a yellow light. The girl was having some serious issues today.

But I appeased her by making her favorite dinner (tacos), cuddling with her and reading stories while effectively ignoring my other children. Finally, thank God, it was time for bed.

"Mom, I really love you. Mom you want me to follow my dreams right?"

"Of course honey, that's what all mommies want."

"Well my dream is to be a Girl Scout."

Oh, hell. Here we go again.