8 Is Not Always Great

I love my children. I have two very sweet, very loving little girls. They are inquisitive, they are caring, and they (mostly) get along very well. We are a tight little family of four, spending most of our free time on the weekends together, and you can see the strong bond my girls share. That being said, I am finding this 8th year of my oldest daughter’s existence slightly challenging. 8 is not always great. 

We have finally reached the age where she’s ready to have some control over her life and test some boundaries, which is fine…until it isn’t. I’m sure the age of 8 isn’t when this happens for everyone, but it’s when the tantrums have struck our house.

Everyone knows about the “terrible twos” and those types of tantrums. But I was unprepared for my (seemingly) grown-ish 8-year-old to start them up again. From simple things like not waking up for school, to wanting a specific item for a meal (hello, life has been ruined because we don’t have time for cereal sometimes!), to lying to spend more time talking to her friends on the iPad, parenting is getting TRICKY.

A very wise woman in my life once said, “Little kids, little problems. Big kids, big problems.” Well, I have a medium kid (right? not a baby, not a teenager), and she comes with her own medium problems.

It’s funny, everyone gives you advice when you have a baby, but where is everyone with their helpful advice in the middle of childhood?

Will someone please buy me a book called “The Happiest Adolescent on the Block” or “How Not to Embarrass Your Third Grader in 3 Easy Steps?” Because to be clear, I embarrass her on the daily.

We’ve reached the precipice of her independence, and all I can say is, “Can we go back?” I will admit, however, that it isn’t all bad. She may not be my little obedient best friend anymore, but she is my best music partner in the car. And she does enjoy helping her dad cook, and plant, and build. She’s becoming more clear in her thoughts and opinions, but the good news is, she’s fun! And funny! And has good taste in delicious food!

So though I started this by saying 8 is not always great, it isn’t all that bad either. It’s just a new kind of challenge, and I guess that’s what we sign up for as parents…even if no one told us about it!