Sharing

I mentioned before that Rory isn't quite clear on the concept of sharing. She understands taking turns, and will tolerate waiting if she can be certain her opportunity for fun is coming up shortly. However, this morning, sharing and Rory came face to face to do battle. I'm not sure if either side won, but I feel like a casualty of war. There are three other young children here. A 4 year old, a 1 1/2 year old, and a 2 1/2 year old. Rory had multiple meltdowns this morning as she watched the other kids play with every ball, toy, truck, and doll that she was sure were hers. I offered her different toys, tried to distract her, and finally separated her so she and I could play alone somewhere. Didn't work...the kids found us and wanted to play with what Rory was playing with. That's what kids do. So finally I did it. After listening to her yell, "MINE!" for the umpteenth time, I put my daughter in a time-out chair.

This was a first for both Rory and I. At home I have placed her in her room with the baby gate up so she could finish the tantrum she was throwing. Time-out is a new one though. At first she wouldn't stay in the chair so I had to keep setting her back down. I remembered from watching SuperNanny though that I shouldn't talk to her because that gives her the interaction she wants and actually encourages her to get out again. I repeatedly sat my screaming, red-cheecked baby in a high-back chair big enough for a large man. It was heart-wrenching, frustrating, and embarassing. Once she sat in the chair for a continuous minute I got her out and gave her some loving. I asked her to say sorry to me and to Nathan, the young man who was bearing the brunt of her selfishness, and then I encouraged her to try sharing again.

Let me tell you this is rough. I don't like the "Mine" bug. It's not fun for anyone involved. I know she's too young to totally understand the concept, so I can't expect things of her which aren't developmentally there. But I also can't allow her to bulldoze the other little kids and create havoc. I have to demand that she play nicely without being able to really explain why. It hurts. But I know it's good for her. I just love her so much and I know this whole experience is going to take so much more time to adjust for her than for Brad or I.

A high note...Rory is a little popular here at Castaway Club. Quite a few of the workers here have taken a liking to her and I'm trying hard to remember names so we can greet everyone personally when we see them throughout the day. We took her down to the waterfront today to play on the beach and she did amazingly well with the waves. The water was kind of choppy and waves would roll in when boats passed by. She ventured out into the water on her own and then asked me to help her as she stood in the middle of a large inner tube and walked out even farther. She was almost up to her belly before I encouraged her that perhaps that was far enough without her lifejacket on. She's getting used to the sand between her toes and loves to shower off after being in the water. That's her favorite part actually. I on the other hand am enjoying the exfoliating effects of playing in the sand. My feet should be nice and soft when I return to Missouri.

One of the books I have on my list to read this month is Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. I am really enjoying it. It's an easy read, and the author is a talented story teller. I haven't been bored once. Today I read something interesting and thought I would share. I'll just quote since he says it best anyway.

"[A friend] asked me one time if there was anything I would die for. I had to think about it for a long time...dying for something is easy because it is associated with glory. Living for something...is the hard thing. Living for something extends beyond fashion, glory, or recognition. We live for what we believe..."

I dog-eared that page. Mostly because I haven't finished answering the questions, "What do I live for? What am I living for right now?"

I miss people bad. I have acquaintances here that are becoming closer friends, and I am making new friends, but the comforts of a friend whose sense-of-humor you already get, whose love you already feeel, and whose presence is already comforting...that's nice to have around.