4 going on 13

We began our day EARLY around here. I woke up at 6:30 to a brand new 4 year old face staring right at me. She has been SO excited about her birthday that its been downright annoying! I told her last night before she went to bed that she was not allowed to wake up and be 4 today. She could hardly wait to announce that she indeed had magically turned 4 overnight and that it felt good.

Remember when your birthday felt good? At 37, it no longer feels good to wake up another year older. It simply feels older! Ahhh... to be four.

She also informed me last night that she is no longer my baby. I am not to call her my baby and soon she's going to be 5, then 6, then 7 (she went all the way to 20 but I'll spare you the count!) Suffice it to say, it brought a tear to my eye. Quickly followed by the command that she is NOT allowed to be 4. Like with many things these days, she disobeyed. And today, I have a 4 year old.

But she acts more like she is 13. And our relationship looks more like she is 13. We argue, we bicker and we laugh. What to do when she really turns 13? (I have a few ideas that *might* include running away from home- me, not her- and/or boarding school.)

She is so crafty, in fact, she is able to pretty much talk her brothers into anything. She got this really ridiculously large lolly pop at her birthday party last week. I explained to her that she could have it but I would need to break it into smaller pieces because the brothers would want some too and it would cause a real stink.

From the backseat she began a negotiating process unlike any other! "Hey, Turner, do you want a sucker when we get home?"

"Yeah."

"Do you want a LITTLE sucker?"

"Yeah!"

"Hey, Quinn, do you want a sucker when we get home?"

"Yeah!"

"Do you want a LITTLE sucker?"

"Yeah!"

"Mom, Quinn and Turner both want LITTLE suckers. Looks like I can eat my big lolly pop all by myself!"

She's either going to be a lawyer or an extortionist when she grows up.

Either way, she'll be real good at it!