I have three children. Katlynn. Kiersten. Kael.
This is not a revelation to anyone that has read this before. I only mention it because they have each, at different times during this past week, brought me such amazement, hope, admiration, and so many more adjectives. Katlynn and Kiersten are intelligent, beautiful girls that are growing into considerate and caring individuals.

Katlynn would(will) hate reading this, but I have discovered, through much self examination, and I believe that the reason we tend to conflict on things is that she is so much like me. I tend to overreact to her minute flaws because I subconsciously(or consciously) see them magnified into the things I did wrong or could've done better at her age. Now she is much more out spoken than I was at her age with my parents. You didn't act mad or show your irritation with them. You. just. did. not. So I try very hard to curb my tongue and reaction and let her get it out.
I probably shouldn't put this here because she would be angry with me now, but maybe since she most likely won't read this until she's much older she won't hold it against me. Several days ago out of the blue she started this conversation:

"Mom, do you think I'm paranoid?"
seeing that she was completely serious I weighed my
answer,
"What makes you ask something like that? Did someone
tell you that you are paranoid?"
Of course, this didn't fly.
"No, I just want to know if you think I
am."
"I don't think your paranoid, hon, it's more that you
worry about minor things to much. Do you think you are
paranoid."
"Well, yeah."

and the conversation went on from there. It killed me to hear my sweet baby describe the reasons why she considers herself paranoid. What really killed was that she was describing traits that she most likely inherited from ME. I hate that she is only 10 and already hitting the age where you examine everything about yourself because of the mean things others say. Anyway, I digress. I was talking about things they've done to amaze me with their considerate nature. She was worried about not having gotten me something for Easter. And there are many other examples that are better, I just remembered that one first.

This morning I was on my way to meet my husband get some money and he had mentioned that he could take her the rest of the way to school if I wanted. Well Kierst says "Mom are you taking me to school." and I said I could if she wanted me to or she could get in with dad and he'd take her. She didn't skip a beat and said, "Dad can take me, that way you can head on to work, I don't want to make you any later than you have to be."