DAREDEVIL NOT BRAVE

It is so funny to think back to how Mckenna was a a toddler and then Camdyn. Most of you know that they were always such brave little daredevils. If I try to deter them from doing a task, they would be more determined to get the job done. Mckenna was forever climbing to the top of my dining room table before she was one. I would take her down over and over and over again. What was I doing wrong? Why wouldn't she listen? I finally took the chairs away. Oh fun.. a new obstacle course. Now (still not yet one) would push/pull/spin the chair until it was back into a usable position. With the doctor's advice, I stopped trying to deter this particular task. After a few major panics from my mother and a few excited toddler table dances from Mckenna the novelty wore off. That was the key!!! I finally found out how to deal with her need to climb, jump, slide and run - NOTHING! I know that sounds awful but they were going to do it anyway and for my own sanity I had to be able to let it be. Both of them had a tendency of doing "tricks" that would leave a wake of gasping onlookers. I wonder how many times I would follow up one of those gasps with "it's okay, she's fine". When Mckenna jumped off the moving merry-go-round at Hampton Park... "gasp" "she's fine". When Mckenna fell off the top of a bunk bed... "gasp" "she's fine". The trick might have been different but the response was usually the same. I don't know if it is in their blood (from Josh of course). I always thought what Brave little daredevils. Well I have recently been rethinking the BRAVE part. Most of you know that one or both of our children are often in our bed at night. Enough that Josh woke up the other morning and with a shocked look on his face and tone in his voice he said "can you believe we woke up alone?"
It got me thinking that day and that night as we were laying in bed I hear the sounds of an approaching child. This is a sound I have heard so many times before but this time I had to laugh. The approaching steps were so fast so furious. I once again had a scared little girl scurrying across the floor and up onto the bed in one fast fluent motion. Brave... I guess maybe not so much. I will have to go with Crazy Daredevil. They get the crazy part from daddy too. : )