This morning we had what we have come to refer to as exorcist moments. Our daughter occasionally loses her mind to the point where we really think that at any moment her head will begin to rotate on its axis and fire will shoot out of her eyeballs. She has an intensity that I have never seen before. I certainly do not possess her strong will or fire, and while my husband does, he thankfully has a degree more self-control than she does. Sometimes these moments are brought on by something simple like which shoes she is going to wear (those don't match and these aren't comfortable - therefore, I am going to blow.) Other times, like this morning, we are greeted with the screaming the moment her eyes are open (mind you, our eyes are not yet open, so this is a great way to wake up.)
This morning, it was Ryan's turn to get up with Ellie (and the angels sing, do you hear them?). He travels a lot, so when he is home, we take turns getting up with her and making her breakfast. I think this might be the best system in the world. So, she starts off the day upset because she can't find her stuffed frog. Then, she moves on to a tantrum about not being able to open a box. She spirals downward until no one (especially her) knows why she is upset. I lay in the safety of my bed listening to the storm brewing in the hallway. I listen as my husband continues to keep the same even tone as he tries to talk her down. (I am feeling a little guilty for staying in my hiding place, but he is just doing such a great job, I hate to interrupt it...) I hear banging, screaming, and other unidentifiable sounds. This goes on for an hour and a half (and no, I did not stay in bed the whole time). This child has staying power. Finally, she throws down one more outright disobedient trick and we both watch as Ryan carries the new Barbie house from Santa out to the "trash". Here is where my stomach is sick and I am praying that this is just a bluff. Surely he is not throwing out the house that Santa spent so much money on and time to put together, right? (Trash comes on Saturday this week - please earn it back, child...)
And how is she now? Perfect. Once she has calmed down, she is back to her sweet self, full of "I love you's", hugs, and artistic pictures drawn for us. She can channel her brain power and read books for an hour and a half. She can do a 100 piece puzzle. She can make up songs or sing every word to a whole songbook of Beatles hits. She can navigate the web or play a video game. She has so much brilliance in that little head, I just pray that she can use it in a positive way. I hope that we can direct her as her parents to be able to make good choices and to practice self-control. If we don't accomplish that, then exorcist moments when she is 13 might have us calling for reinforcements. Right now, I am most thankful that these moments are not constant, or we might all be in lock down already.
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