It's Coming to My Head

There is this word that I want to use about Figlia's behaviour these days - insubordination. 

M and Figlia are both running a cough and cold, and Figlia is essentially challenging my prerogative to say "No". 

Yesterday, she again went out unaccompanied and I eventually searched for her, and brought her home at 2000 hrs. I chose to not yell, because that is what she perhaps expected. I told her that she had said that she was going to P's house, but how come she was at R's house without telling me. And Madam F, tried to bluff me that she had actually said R and never P, making me doubt for a couple of minutes if something is wrong with my hearing. However it all started with A (the next door kid) who showed up and asked for Figlia to accompany her to the park. When A did not agree to go to play at P's house, my daughter just went out alone. 

I am not calling my daughter a liar. I just can't seem to get to her that there are a lot of safety concerns here. She thinks she is pretty grown up (at 5 already?). I chose to not yell at her immediately afterwards, nor did I tell DH immediately when he came home. I told about last evening today morning, and her father sat her down and specifically pointed the problem with this, and the safety risk. 

She wasn't too happy. 

She still does not understand why I do not agree to everything she proposes to do. As an adult, I have my concerns, but my problem is that my child considers herself sufficiently grown up, to take my opinion only as a suggestion. 

Her spirited nature pervades everything, but this unsupervised going out is really the thing that is annoying.

What is fuelling this is the fact that one adult is needed with M. Gracy has been running her own tantrum, and I don't have the energy to tell what has happened but she is essentially reporting to work either a bit later than usual, or going home earlier than her due time. Because of the rains, M is not going to the park, and so she usually stays home with him. But Figlia does not want to stay inside the home in evening. 

Because of the incident that happened last week, Gracy has sworn off taking Figlia anywhere if A is tagging along. A's mom has a tiny infant to take care of, and just about pushes A to our house every evening for some relief, and  the fact that A and Figlia do play well. 

Gracy is good when she is at it, but her work ethic corresponds to - Once a concession is given in need, it will be now a norm. And Gracy has not come to work today at all. The children are sick, we don't want to send them to daycare. DH is taking care of them now, and then I have taken half day leave so that I go home and stay with them, and DH goes to office. 

Good Nannies are not easy to find, and she realizes that as much as we do. 

I think I need a coffee, or two, and a long break alone.




On a completely different note, Figlia lost her first milk tooth yesterday!