Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Our Daughters, Our Selves

I was folding laundry in the bedroom when the dull roar from the living room erupted in crescendo. I walked in to see Ava, papers strewn around her, calmly coloring a picture. Cate towered above her, screaming:

Cate: "Play with me! PLAY WITH ME!!!! PLAY!! WITH!! ME!!!!!!!!"
Ava: "I can't."
Cate: "WHYYYYYYY??????? WHY CAN'T YOU PLAY WITH MEEEEEEE??????"
Ava: "I can't tell you."
Cate: "AAAAAAAIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!! MOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!"

My God, I almost peed myself laughing. In so many ways, I identify with Cate in this situation - wanting to control the Universe by sheer force of will, and not understanding why it will not bow to her oh-so-reasonable demands. But, when I related this story to my long-time friend Michelle, describing the way Ava was just !@#$ing with Cate - just calmly sitting there and twisting the knife, pushing the buttons, slowly driving her insane, toying with her just because she COULD - Michelle said "Yeah, that sounds like you". 

So there you go. My two girls. My yin and my yang. And let the record show that......yeah, I'm sorry about that one, world. My bad.

4 comments:

WendyBird said...

Hehehe, no one knows how to make you crazy like a sibling!

JayJay said...

Yes, in your children you see your personality reinvented in wonderful and terrible ways. Cate will have an iron will and Ava will be completely unflappable, good qualities in adults, no?

Anonymous said...

Jessie - yes, I suppose that is the bright side. :) But it does make for good drama in the meantime.....

JennC said...

Wendy - Yeah, Chris *still* has the ability to make me homicidally insane in under 5 seconds. :) He know JUST what to say!