A tale of two Ainsleys

This picture really struck me this morning as it seems to really reflect life with this spirited little miracle of mine. She is having such a juxtaposition of sweet and sassy. While, she is normally a mix of the two with equal proportions, lately however this is just not the case.

We have been seeing a lot more if the sassiness side of her personality. Not that it is awful or anything but boundaries are being challenged as never before. There are more temper tantrums and tears.

This leads me to the thought that she is growing up, changing and needing to know that the rules apply and how far they can be pushed. She is needing more than ever to know where things stand and what mama will allow. She is also needing more hugs, love and attention. She wants to talk about things and ask why.

I remember learning in one of my psych classes in college that children {even though they will rebel against them} like have boundaries and a set of rules/expectations. It helps them to feel secure while living in such a big world.

I have discovered in my 8 years of parenting that this is true.

But also that my children tend to really test during two specific times:

1. When they are about to have a big growth spurt.

2. When they are about to undergo big developmental changes.

There is the possibility that she is about to grow physically but I have a hunch that it is her mental development that is stretching. She seems older lately. I have been noticing that she has outgrown "toddler" and is really "preschooler" now. She has very interesting ideas about things and her sense of humor is exploding.

I guess that the point of this is to remind myself that this period will pass just as quickly as it came. That each and every moment she is getting older, maturing, changing. To really embrace this time, however difficult it may be, because our time with our children is limited. I really don't want to look back and see that I had hurried through difficult times simply because they were difficult. This time of growth and change is helping to mould the girl that she will become.

Even these "trying" times have their blessings.