Determination

Sonya is the kind of kid who gets an idea in her head about something and there's no letting it go. There was the time she wanted to build a birdhouse.  She wouldn't stop talking about it and don't you know that week at Target there were birdhouses to paint.  On sale.  How could I say no? Then there was the time I had to say no. It was near Lana's birthday.  She and her friend Liza from school decided they were going to have a party on Friday afternoon in our backyard.  She told me all about it on the way home from school and how we would have a stage and chairs set up for people to watch the show.  What was this show-you ask.  Apparently, it was going to be Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck performing.  Now you might be thinking "how cute" or "what a great imagination".  Those were my first thoughts.  Until she continued to talk about it and I realized she so wasn't kidding about this.  I finally informed her that there wasn't going to be a party on Friday afternoon with a stage, and chairs, and Minnie, and Daisy.  She argued with me for about 5 minutes and once she realized I so wasn't kidding, she proceeded to have a meltdown.  A meltdown that lasted about a week.  Well maybe 2 hours, but it felt like a week.  So when Sonya decides she's going to do something you either let her do it or deal with the consequences.

This morning she decided she was going to make party hats for everyone!  This was something she saw on her new favorite show "Special Agent Oso".  After watching the episode before breakfast she talked about how she was going to make party hats for herself, her sisters, and even mom and dad!  It's all she could talk about at breakfast.  It's all she wanted to do after breakfast.  Finally, I told her to get out her paper and crayons and have at it.  Only problem is she didn't really know what she was doing.  She knew she needed to cut out a circle, so I told her to draw one and cut it out.  I'd be back to help her in about 5 minutes.  Why do I ever think that will work?  After about 3 minutes I hear her walking down the hallway and make her way to the bathroom holding a circle-ish piece of construction paper she had cut.  

"What do you want me to do with this?" I ask

"You're supposed to fold it and make it a hat," she explained.  I tried, but having not seen the episode and not being so great at making my own party hats, I had no idea what to do.  

"Sonya-I'm not sure what to do here," I told her handing it back.  Well THIS is not what she wanted to her, and she proceeded to lay on the floor whining "nooooo" at me.  I tried to tell her to go back to the living room and I'd be there in a minute to help.  She whined some more and I told her to knock it off.  

"Where did you see how to make this?" I asked. She told me about the show and I told her I'd come watch it in a minute and we'd figure it out (thank goodness for DVRs). This satisfied her enough to leave.  

When I got to the living room she was still unhappy but eager to see me.  I found the episode and the part she was talking about.  It was actually easy once I saw it and I did it right away.  You would have thought I gave the child a bag filled with candy, she was so happy.   I then had to make 2 more-one for each of her sisters.  Apparently she had forgotten about mine and her fathers, but that's okay.  At least this time I didn't have to cancel a party with the Disney characters.