Three going on Fifteen

I think I have blogged before about the fact that Sophia goes through occasional stages of "teen-ness." Being obstinate, opinionated, moody and silent by turns. I can't know for a fact that she'll be this way as a teen. I guess I'm hoping that by dealing with it appropriately now I might do away with it little by little in the meantime. (Don't crush my dreams.)

Anyway, last Friday was one of Sophia's teen days. Her behavior all day was actually fine. It was simply attitude and the look in her eye. Asked to do a small task or movement, she would respond with a smirk and denial. I knew that if I asked often enough, it would get done, but I'm not about to beg for action from a preschooler... So consequences came fast and frequently that day. Once I thought we had both had enough, I decided to go for an outing. It was the worst and best idea I could have had. She had moments of sweet temperament and agreeability, followed by bursts of stubbornness only matched by the grittiest and grumpiest.

One such moment came in Old Navy. In the girls' section, there was an entire wall of dresses on sale for $10. I found a very cute little dress and held it up. I was greeted with a sour face and "It's not pretty, I think." Then Sophia proceeded to point out every other single dress on the wall, probably close to twenty of them, and tell me how much she liked them. Again rejecting the one I liked. Sigh. Of course, later when I reflected on the interaction I saw it from her perspective. She just pointed out twenty dresses to my one, and I didn't like any of them...

Perspective could be helpful when this one's a teenager.