Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Greetings From the House of Hormones

My youngest daughter became very angry at me last spring when I suggested we take down our swing set. We don't have a huge yard and it takes up a nice sized chunk of it and Tom hates mowing around it. I was ready to see it go. She was not. She loves swinging and still swings quite often. I actually do love reading on the deck to the steady squeak of the swing set. No rush to grow up, Liv. Swing on!

And boy, does she.

Jumping off, she says, is the best part...

Yesterday we met friends for coffee at Barnes and Noble. When it was time to go, it was no small feat gathering everyone together. My friend and I had found our younger daughters but were still in search of our elder daughters. We asked the younger if they'd seen them. Liv responded, "Well I was with Lea and I gave her a playful little push..." at this, my friend and I sort of - well, in retrospect I guess we did sort of laugh at her.

"That cannot have ended well..."

We looked behind us and Liv was not keeping up. She had stopped in her tracks. Her face had gone full red and her left eye was twitching a little bit. "I SAID," she said, clearly working very hard to maintain reasonable modulation, "I was being PLAYFUL." Child was seriously angry at - us? her sister? the world?

Not ten minutes later, she informs me we've run dangerously low on feminine products. OH! Ok. She wasn't angry at us, or her sister, or the world. She was angry at Mother Nature. That made sense. Mother Nature can be a real bitch. (just ask Kathy B.)

So off we go to Walgreen's, where we face the huge aisle of monthly decisions. The Theme From A Summer Place was playing on the Muzak - or whatever we're supposed to call it these days. We agreed that it was a pretty song. Then Liv, my angry little Liv who, not an hour earlier had only just managed to suppress steam from coming out of her ears, burst into dance in the feminine product aisle at Walgreen's. It was a very expressive, arms out, leaping sort of dance. She did not hold back. Still dancing, and going into a little twirl, she said, "I feel like I want to be barefoot wearing a Sleeping Beauty gown and dancing in a meadow with a boy dressed up like a prince." There's a child firmly grounded in reality. She's not waiting for a prince. Just someone who dresses up like one. And what is it about feminine products and meadows, anyway?

I've told you about the paradox that is Liv, before. I've told you that she is a gentle vegetarian, tree-hugging speed-metal drummer. Ask anyone who was in Walgreen's yesterday afternoon and they might tell you, based on appearance only, about a skate punk ballerina.

I don't think we'll be getting rid of the swing anytime soon.

14 comments:

Kathy B! said...

Your title alone gave me a little shiver -- even before I started reading. And then you just had to go and drag 'ole Mother Nature into things. Not wise, Tammy. Not wise...

Keep your eyes open for the frogs. I hear they like hormone-ragin' teenagers.

Unknown said...

I absolutely love the image I have of Liv............ahhh, grow up, not grow up.......such a hard place to be!
Swing away dear child, there is never enough time to swing.

Alex the Girl said...

Keep the swing! And the barbies if you have them (mine weren't barbie girls). Poor you. Having two teens both being girls can be hellacious. To quote Anita, "grow up, not grow up" very hard place to be. Sometimes I think I never left that place.

The Blonde Duck said...

She sounds like she's fun to be around, though!

Rosa said...

Fabulous. And a little bit sad. And MORE than a little bit scary as my daughter is staring down the barrel of joining the Sisterhood of the Mood Swing. Ack! I think I'll go get a Doublestuff Oreo.

Gibby said...

I love that picture!
And I must say, I am dreading these days when my two go through this. I mean, I am hormonal enough for all of us, let alone throwing 2 more in the mix. Alcohol, anyone? (For me, not them!)

Mama-Face said...

Am I the first to say this?

MOOD SWING?

'the aisle of monthly decisions" haha

That is a very full day, Barnes and Noble AND Walgreens. Oh yeah, keep the swing. I still love to swing, but it does seem to make me much dizzier than I remember; or maybe I just liked being dizzy in my youth. Sweet Post.

Macey said...

I was gonna say the same thing as mama face! She's too young for mood swings already! I remember that age and it sucked. Poor Liv. ;)
Macey

Melissa B. said...

Such is the life with 2 gals in the house! I want to tell you that things will get better, but they will probably just get...different?

Claudya Martinez said...

Backyard swings are much better than mood swings.

AiringMyLaundry said...

Mood swings are scary. My daughter is two and I swear she already has them.

Anonymous said...

Hopefully it's just my computer but I keep refreshing your page and it's still showing up for me without words in your posts. Argh. I'll try back later.

Sandy said...

Barbie's one minute, boyfriends the next?

the girl with the pink teacup said...

Lea is absolutely adorable. Just like her mother. Hope the mood swings calm down a little, whatever happens to your backyard swings.

And for the record: I still play on the swings at our local park. It's wonderful.