{Mama Kat's Writing Workshop} Her Mother's Daughter

I said it this week:  "She is her mother's daughter."  I was talking about my daughter, of course, and how she reminds me so much of myself. 

Picture my scene 20+/- years ago: I was figuring out who I was.  I was playing softball at the time and I was terrible.  Really.  Horrible.  It was more a social event for me.  As a result I was relegated to right field and a friend of mine was assigned to center field.  So we could chat, obviously.  And pick dandelions, also.  I guess the coach wasn't too worried about the other team hitting the ball in the outfield. Turns out, ballet, tap, gymnastics - not really my thing either.  Sure, I did them all, but didn't have the passion for any of them. Instead, I got in to band, because I am just that cool!  Reading, writing, the arts.  That was definitely more my style. 

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Picture this scene, present day:  My daughter on the soccer field in khaki shorts and a purple short sleeve T-shirt with a silver sequined peace sign.  Oh, and her black and hot pink soccer cleats.  The artificial turf of the soccer field seems to be singing to her because she is doing one heck of a lyrical jazz number, flowing arms and legs and all.  Around her, the kids are zooming about in a full-on race for the soccer ball.  Who will get there first?  I'll tell you, it certainly won't be Maddi because she is her mother's daughter.  A girl after my own heart.  Seemingly a little more on the creative side than the agressive athletic side, at least right now.  She told me when I announced we were on our way to soccer practice, "Ugggg, mama, I don't want to go!"  Her answer to my why, "Because I don't like it.  I don't want to kick the ball, or steal the ball, that's not nice." 

I think she's getting caught up with the lesson we taught her about stealing not being nice, in fact illegal, and people go to jail for it.  Is she connecting stealing the soccer ball away from a kid with going to jail?  Quite possibly.  And so the long conversation begins about the differences between "good" stealing and "bad" stealing.  Am I making it worse?  Quite possibly.

I'm not going to get in to how right or wrong it is to label our children because, ugghh with the righteousness already. She is who she is. From birth. My hubs was vehemently against anything "princess" anywhere near her bedroom, or any room of our house for that matter.  Guess what she told me she wants to be for Halloween this year?  Yep, a princess.  So we'll put her in all the sports.  We'll put her in all the dance and gymnastics.  We'll put her on the piano.  We'll put her in the library and the art studio.  We'll put her in karate.  And we'll see what develops.  So far, it doesn't look like it'll be a love of soccer.

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Since I had such a good time writing this post, I've got another one coming about my son next week. And I've got ideas brewing about further series potential on this one idea so I'm labeling this post "family tree" for future reference.

This post was inspired by Mama Kat's Writing Workshop prompt.