She's Getting It!

It has been a rough few days for Snapper. Yesterday her rotten attitude and stubbornness got her kicked out of children's church (Horrors!). At dance class tonight, Snapper mouthed off to her teacher. I take a deep breath and wonder if any of my lessons on obedience, respect, and common courtesy are sinking in through that tough little skull of hers. Am I somehow failing as a parent? As much as I hate to admit it, it's a pride issue for me. It hurts my pride when my child behaves badly because it reflects negatively on me. Ugh. So we have some more lessons to learn, and some issues to process. And I am once again humbled by God, through my child.

The good news is that there was a shining moment in the midst of all this Snapper-drama. On the way home from dance tonight, she was certain she saw two planets in the sky. This led to a 15-minute discussion between Snapper and Matt about the planets, the stars, and other things about outer space. The following is a brief segment of that conversation, which helped calm my inner turmoil a bit. The bad behavior is childish and will fade with time and training. But at least some of what we are teaching is getting through.

Matt: Mercury is the planet that is closest to the sun.
Snapper: If I went to Mercury I would get all sweaty and my skin would all come off.
M: Yup, all your skin would come off.
S: Pluto is the planet that is the longest ways way from the sun. It's super freezing cold there.
M: Actually, Pluto isn't a planet.
S: Oh yeah, I know, I know. It's a bunch of rock and stuff and a monster.
M: Did Mommy tell you that?
S: YES!.....Actually no, she didn't.
M: Nothing can live on any of the other planets. Do you know why?
S: Yup, because the closer ones to the sun are too hot, and the longer away from the sun ones are too cold. Earth is exactly perfectly medium.
M: Do you know why?
S: Yup, because Earth is in the perfect place where it's not too hot and not too cold.
M: Do you know why?
S: Yup, because God put Earth exactly where He wanted it so we could be alive here.

Ah, yes! At least some things are sinking in!

Here's a 3-minute video from Snapper's dance class tonight. She is wearing Jeans and a long-sleeved white shirt with a cute tan spaghetti strap top over it. If it doesn't work yet, check back tomorrow. YouTube was getting ready to undergo some maintenance when I posted the video.