What no one tells you....

When I was pregnant with Selah, I had in my head a life of tea parties, ballets, princesses, and dainty little playdates. In particular, I envisioned us running down flowery meadows in our white summer dresses with our long hair streaming behind us as the sound of music would be playing in the background. Yes, I know. It's a bit much. But considering I had three boys before Selah, I think I earned the right to drown myself in all things girly.

Well, cut to three years later, and I definitely have my share of tea parties....but it usually is a chaotic scene where all the family members are being bullied into sipping cup after cup of Selah's magically unending pot of tea.

I definitely have my share of ballet.... but it usually is Selah dancing in her frayed tutu and yet another pair of tights that she has managed to put a hole in (from when she tried climbing the tree or leaping off something inappropriate).

I definitely have my share of princesses....but it ends with Selah marrying Ariel and Cinderella with Optimus Prime or Megatron.

I definitely have my share of playdates....but it has more drama and divaness than daintiness.

And that vision I had of us running down the meadow, blah blah blah? Well, we have run down flowery meadows with our long hair streaming behind us...

but it's in grass stained dresses....
and she's running away from me rather than with me.....
and instead of the sound of music in the background, it's only the sound of my loud, mean mommy voice telling her she better turn around or else.

No one tells you about this stuff. But I gotta say, this stuff is way better. It's flawed, but it's real. That dainty, compliant little girl is someone else's child, and I don't want her. I want my child, flaws and all.