Age and Independence

Last night Brian and I had to put a kabosh on some of Emma's attitude.  She has been talking back to both of us more than we would like and the eye rolling and attitude that goes along with it.  We decided that she could go outside after dinner to ride her bike.  She was especially tired and ended up falling off of her bike more than usual.   So, for her safety, Brian told her that it was time to go in.  She wanted nothing to do with going in and made it more than clear that she wasn't going without a fight.

So, in tears, she came inside.  We sent her up to her room until she got herself together.  It took a while, but after she calmed down I went in and sat with her and talked through her frustration.  She was really angry with us and couldn't understand why we came down so hard on her.  We spent about 15 minutes.  When she went to bed, she was feeling a little better, but then I was wondering whether we did the right thing and second guessing myself.

Until this morning.   

The girls and I drove up to my parent's to see a play.  We hadn't been in the car five minutes when Emma says, "Mommy.  Thank you for talking to me about why I was so mad at Daddy last night."  Then a few minutes later, "Thanks for being my Mom.  I love you."

At this point, I was reminded that our children do like structure and boundaries and limits.  She is struggling to find exactly how far she can take her independence as she gets older.  That is where it is our job as parents to step in and say, "You've gone far enough."