Woke up this morning in a tent lying next to three of the people I love most in this world, my kids and my man. The song that was running through my head surprised me at first:
She was singin'
Don't turn around, uh-oh
Der Kommissar's in town, uh-oh
But on reflection, I knew why it had been subconsciously selected. My daughter is a very powerful creature. And sometimes, in families as in other areas of our lives, we fall into patterns that begin because they are the path of least resistance.
During the course of the three years that my kids and I have been a family of three, we have, to some degree, fallen into such a pattern in terms of giving my daughter Kommissar-like power, because when my son and I try to buck her, we often have to pay a price in terms of peace. Of course, I know from my child psychology books as well as from my own experience as a powerful kid that she doesn't really want that much power, in her heart of hearts, and giving it to her just puts her in a harder spot. Tricky business indeed.
These days, we often have another VIP added to our midst. And while my boyfriend brings so much that benefits all of us, singly and as a unit (I've never taken my kids camping and we did it two days after he moved across the country and we had an awesome time), it's also an enormous adjustment. And that brings out the tyrant in my tiniest.
We're going to find a way though, I know we are, to adjust these dynamics. As tough as it can be at times for all of us, adding to our equation is an opportunity way more than it is a challenge, especially with the amazingly open and conscious man who captured my heart...
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