Speaking in Non Sequiturs

Nearly 13 year old Daughter #1 just loves to tell anyone who will listen, or even who isn't listening, about anything that crosses her mind and strikes her fancy.

It could be about the cat attacking her toes, the plot of a TV show, something that struck her funny, or even a friend's hang-nail (yes, true). It could be anything.

Now, I do want to encourage her communications skills. I love it that she wants to talk to her Moms about anything that occurs to her. But, she speaks in non sequiturs. The girl wouldn't know the point of a story if it bit her nose. Riding along with her on this verbal journey is an exercise in being lost in a litany of words whose content makes no sense to the listener. Or, at least no sense to me.

I find myself being impatient with her and imagine myself screaming in exasperation,

"Daughter! Is there a point to this story? Is there a plot? Why have I been standing here listening for 20 minutes and I still don't know what you want to tell me?"

So, she attempts to quickly finish up. For 5 more minutes. By the end of the next series of non sequiturs, the conclusion is never satisfying enough for me to think that my listening has served a successful purpose.

::sigh::

I have tried to gently guide her story telling, to no avail. I am hopeful that she will figure out the art of a short story on her own. It would be nice to listen to her and actually be able to follow where she's going.

Do any of you have experience with this? What have you done? Do the get less ditsy?

Please tell me they do!

Embarrassing Kidlet #2 with Pictures

Another Blog Topic: My kids. How do I love them? Let me count the ways....

I have talked bragged a lot about Kidlet #1 (Katie) here, sometimes mentioning Kidlet #2 (Megan) along the way. I wouldn't want anyone to think that I'm neglecting our Kid with a Thousand Expressions in this blog.

So, let me tell you a little about Megs. She and Katie are full sisters, and look very much alike. At least, you can certainly tell at a glance that they are sisters. But, that's about where their similarities end. I like to say they are two sides of the same coin - opposite, and often opposed.

Megan has refused to wear anything approximating a dress since Grandma sent her a beautiful Easter dress in 2001. She looked like a miniature football player walking around in it. She was not amused. We have a picture of her in that dress, and her lower lip is sticking out about 6 inches. When I dig it up, I promise to post it here. (Don't say anything to her, 'kay?)

In the mean time, I have another precious picture to share. Megs was about 4 years old, and she was posing for her school picture at Myrtle Farm Montessori School. The photographer wanted her to hold a flower, and look sweetly at the camera. She tried. I think. Her chin looks like it was quivering.

So fast forward to the present. It's a rare moment when I can get Megs to sit still in front of the camera. She usually takes off and hides, or if trapped, gives me a silly, posed grin. I got lucky about a week ago. She was patient with me. She knew I was desperate, and she didn't dash my hopes. She gave me a genuine smile not generally seen in any of her pictures. I really like this picture. Then, I told her I wanted to take a picture of her eyes. I was amazed that she didn't going flying down the stairs. She didn't lock herself in the bathroom.

She let me take the pictures. In this first picture, you can see just how long her eye lashes are! They're incredibly long - longer than a half an inch (ie. greater than a centimeter). And they curl. She says they get "tangled" all the time.

We should have that problem, eh?

Uptown Girls

How quickly they grow up.

Katie is our girly-girl. While she has always disdained dolls, the color pink, and other accouterments of pink-girlhood, she is still through and through a girl extraordinaire. She runs with a girl-waggle, and she says she can't help it. She is so creative with her hair - and it always looks fabulous, for a twelve year old. She was born with beautiful nails - nails I would have killed for as a teen. I still would, if it mattered to me any longer. When she and her friends try on make-up - she seems to have an in-born skill to putting it on.

I am telling you, my friends, she is a force of nature. This is in-born. This is not from either of us, and certainly not from Kandy. Ahem.

So, when our neighbor Lori let us know that she and another Mom were trying to get a few of the girls together to go to a Team Glamour Class at UpTown Girls, downtown today, Kandy and I thought, "Hmmmm... this would be right up her alley - AND would give her some skills that we certainly do not have!"

So, she pranced out the door, skipping down the stairs to Lori's car, already brimming with twelve year old girls. Off they went to learn how to make the most of what they were born with.

While none of us puts a lot of stock into appearance, it is a fact of life that how you present yourself to the world has a huge effect on how you're perceived and received. I think a warm, sincere smile can go a long ways. It doesn't hurt to enhance your other features, either.

She came home, her eyes all a-glitter, her hair curled. To tell you the truth, I do not think she looks all that much different, nor do I think she learned a lot about applying make-up. But, she did have fun.

I asked Megan if she wanted to go to a glamor class. Her reply?

NEVER!