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We were supposed to leave to head back home today. I kept going back and forth over the last few days about whether I should go home, or just stay for a while longer. I kept looking at the Dogwood trees here, and they were beckoning me to stay 
They are about to bloom any day now. That is the most beautiful time of the year here, and I think that the Dogwoods are my favorite blooming tree. The kids would have missed school today, and then gone to school Tuesday thru Friday. The next week is spring break, so they would have been off school all week. I decided it was worth it to just miss 4 more days and get to stay here for almost 2 weeks.
I think that Emma needs it too. I haven’t written much about it on my blog, but she has been struggling a bit lately. She is just going through normal 6 year old behavior, but it has been difficult for both her and me (and everyone else around her ). A few weeks ago I got a note from her teachers that said that she was having trouble in the classroom. They said that she was being disrespectful to both her teachers and her friends. I went and had a meeting with them to find out what that meant. They said that she has been loud, sassy, and rolls her eyes and shrugs her shoulders when they ask her to do things. Most of the things didn’t surprise me. I think that they are finally seeing the real Emma. Before this they always told me what a perfect student she was–how thrilled they were to have her in the class and what a great friend she was to all the other kids. I think now she just feels comfortable enough with them to let her true self come out–the self that I have seen for a long time.
I know that Emma is strong willed and emotional. She is smart and very opinionated. I have known that about Emma since she was born. She was asserting her will from the time she was 3 months old. She was such a small baby and I was always worried about her weight gain. But, if I tried to nurse her when she wasn’t hungry, look out! There was no way I was going to get her to nurse if she didn’t want to.
I think right now she is just trying to figure out who she is. She is six, and she is starting to assert more independence. She is trying to figure out who she is separate from me, and the rest of the family. She is testing and trying to figure out what is and what isn’t acceptable. Right now, I think the best thing for her is to spend more time with me. That is exactly what we are doing here. We have been playing games, reading, playing at the park, and just running around together. We have had a lot issues with being disrespectful, and a lot of opportunities to talk about it.
I know that things will be fine, and that this is just a phase. But, I am starting to get a glimpse of what it is going to be like to raise a teenager. I am definitely not ready for that yet!