Apples and Trees

They say that "Apples don't far from trees", and I wholeheartedly agree.  Of course, I don't know who "they" are.  "They" seem to talk a lot.  But in any case, in this instance, I think they are right.  

My daughter, sadly, is a mini version of me, in every single aspect.  This becomes especially apparent when we disagree about something because inevitably, she will counter argue with the same rebuttle that I would, thus leaving me speechless, because I would have said the same thing.  It sucks.  Losing to a 4 year old is just as ridiculous feeling as it sounds.

Now, the problem with having a clone and being a parent is that you know all the harsh realities of life, as you have lived for however many years you are alive. In my case, I have pretty much 40 years of getting my ass kicked, having the waves pummel me and having molehills turned to mountains that I have had to claim.  That type of terrain has hardened me and I want to raise my daughter to be strong enough to take it.  That being said, when I get notes from school saying she basically MMA'd a kid while standing in line, I get a little torn.

On one hand - you want to raise your daughter to be strong, not take shit from anyone and be resilient; able to pick herself back up from anything that pushes her down.  On the other hand, you can't have her Mike Tyson her classmates at school, because the school will essentially kick her out.   And besides, you don't want the bully kid - those kids are just assholes.

However, when you sit down and figure out how to parent around that, you end up watching 15 episodes of the UK SuperNanny to figure out how to properly discipline without being a complete asshole that breeds some sort of terrorist or has a teenager someday doing lines off an urinal.  Its hard.  Really hard.  This is where a parenting manual would come in super handy.

All this being said, there are times when you are damn proud you made a minature version of yourself.  Case in point - cookie decorating for sure includes eating frosting directly out of the tube.

And everytime you watch a musical, in this case, Mamma Mia, then you should for sure find something to dance on in your favorite tie-dye.  HELL TO THE YA! 

But look, at the end of the day, we can only do the best we can. We can only try to raise our kids in a way that gives them a foundation of love.  None of us are perfect - Lord knows I should be dead at least 3 times over with all the shit I have done in my life - but we learn and we live on.  And that is all I want for both of my kids - live, learn and live on!  I guess, as a parent, that is all we can do: equip them with the best tools we can and pray to all the guardian angels out there to watch over them.  Maybe mine (all 75 of them) can take a break from me and watch over this next generation - however, they may need some backup.