Reasons Why Kendra Cries....

My youngest daughter, Kendra, is five and a half years old (I added the "half" there because she would probably cry if I said she was just five years old). She made a dramatic entrance into our world (complete with an electrocuted squirrel and hospital-wide power outage) and she was born with the ability to throw an Oscar-worthy temper tantrum. She is wise beyond her years, at times even wise beyond my years; her words and outlook on life can sometimes overshadow the fact that she is only five years old. So, as frustrating as it is in the moment, I often find joy in her emotional meltdowns. Some reasons why Kendra is crying, mad, or pouting:

We put a big bow on her head and brought her home from the hospital.

She was forced to have her picture taken with her sisters.

She couldn't catch a cat.

She had to take a nap.

She rubbed spaghetti in her eyes.

We got her sparklers on the 4th of July.

We dressed her like an Arkansas Razorback.

We took her to a fair.

We took her to a restaurant.

We took her to toddler time at the library.

We took her to an outdoor concert with her friends.

She didn't really have super powers.

She was tired.

She was getting bounced on the trampoline.

She was sitting on her sister's shoulders like she wanted.

She couldn't push her popsicle up.

We told her no.

We asked her to clean up so she put herself in the corner.

She was shorter than me.

We took her shopping.

We wouldn't let her climb a tree even though she was a superhero.

She didn't like her snack.

We let her wear her favorite hat to school.

I don't know about you, but there are moments when I want to throw a fit for many of the same reasons as my five year-old...and maybe I have a time or few. It's a hard-knock life full of first-world problems and I wouldn't change a thing.