Putting your foot down

On a scale of zero to ten gauging how much of a softy I am (at least, when it comes to my daughter and her "needs", or more accurately, "demands"), I fall right about Perris Kelly (12). So... I've got nowhere to go but up!

I can't say "no" and stick with it. It's not good. But you've got to understand - it's progress. Ever since Livi could process and respond to oral language, "no" has been her kyrptonite. Even if she heard it said between two other people in a conversation unrelated to her, she may turn on the waterworks over mere confusion. No longer.

I can say no these days. I say it all the time. Issue: Olivia can say no now too. She says it all the time. In fact, my fantastic little sharer has become much more protective of her sandwich bags of cheerios since she learned the power of "no". I don't get half the handfuls of wet, sticky, snotty cheerios I used to. And while she's become much less emotionally responsive to me saying no, it's almost to the extreme.

She seems to take everything I tell her as a consideration and not an order, which doesn't bode well for compliance. I have absolutely no idea where she gets that from.

Anyway, so here is my REAL problem. Olivia says no to me and sticks with it. All the time. And I know I need to put my foot down now. As my mom said, "I had three Olivias at once. And they were boys. Imagine handling that." (If you have multiple kids and both boys and girls, you understand. Olivia is the wildest girl at day care. But she's not nearly as wild as the wildest boys. x3. And to think of all the things she'll never know about...)

I'm realistic. I know I will have to pick my battles. Carefully. As you can see, for now sitting on the table falls in the "passive regulation" category. Things like refusing to leave her swing so she can go home to mom will now likely fall in the "active regulation" category. It's times like these I appreciate the "this is not a democracy" theory of parenting. After all, I don't want to create a bratty step-daughter for somebody crazy enough to board our ship one day!