Throes Of Motherhood... Raising Kids And Discovering Them!

Cass has just turned 5 years old.  She is slowly metamorphosing into a brat who is really cheeky, mischievous, fearless and rebellious, just like Sherilyn when she was Cass' age.  And she is wearing my patience real thin in each passing day. What is happening to my cute, meek, obedient and adorable Baby C??  She is afraid of no one at home. Though she is afraid of being whipped, yet this will not deter her from doing the things that she is forbidden to do. Oh gosh, she is just exactly like Sherilyn who has tested over 5 years of my patience and worn it so thin till it was torn and almost irreparable. But thank God, Sherilyn is improving in the areas of obedience and sense of importance in punctuality, albeit going at a real SLOW pace. But at least I see improvement in her and I am starting to feel that we can actually get along really well! :)

Now my biggest challenge is Cass, my baby girl who is torturing me mentally, emotionally and physically every day! Day in, day out, I reprimand her and I nag at her till the point that she has developed an immunity towards my reminders and nagging! She is definitely a brat who has been spoilt rotten over the years. Everyone dotted on her and gave in to her whims and fancies because of her medical condition and not to mention her cuteness!  It hurt us deeply to see her on drips and being poked and prodded every month from the time she was just 6 weeks old up until she was 15 months old (post-operation). We just sucked up to all her nonsense all these years. And I am feeling and seeing the consequences now of spoiling my baby girl! Now, this cute baby girl of mine is metamorphosing into a monster eating me up everyday, bit by bit!

Last night, I suddenly remembered what my late aunt had told me about -- never use negative words to scold your child.  During our bedtime ritual last time, after saying a prayer with her and giving her a goodnight kiss and hug, I said this to Cass : "baby, tomorrow, you will be a good girl. You will listen to mummy. You will not talk in class and you will not be punished by your teacher. Tomorrow you will be a good girl and will make mummy happy only, OK?"  She gave me an approving nod and gave me wet pecks all over my face, like a happy puppy.

It is never easy to raise a child. It is even harder to raise a child into a good and useful individual with a wonderful disposition and attitude. But I am learning everyday.  I have just discovered what has been causing my eldest daughter to throw tantrums and sulk whenever she is asked to do her homework. And I told Alycia about my discovery and both of us felt so happy yesterday evening, after we found out what made her edgy with emotional outbursts so frequently lately.   We discovered that no matter what, this girl MUST have at least an hour of nap in the afternoon to recharge her batteries BEFORE she can start doing anything that is academic!   I feel a sense of achievement and victory when I discover hidden answers like this, which is like finding a missing piece of jigsaw puzzle!.  I have also recently discovered that COW'S MILK was the CULPRIT that caused Alycia to be so sick when she was a toddler and she has an ultra sensitive throat with phlegm up until now.  I have now eliminated cow's milk and all products of cow's milk out from her diet and thank God, I am seeing so much improvement in her throat now!   Can you beat it that it took me over 9 years to 'know' my daughter? But at least I did!

Dear God, I ask for guidance and wisdom from you to raise my daughters, everyday. Thank you God, Amen!