Day 25: Being Assertive

Sitting in the dentist's chair after
scraping her knee in the parking lot

Considering we like to do whole days in our pajamas around here, today was full of accomplishments. We went to the YMCA, the bread store and Trader Joe's for bananas. We did school and all became presentable at some point. AND we went to the dentist for Cadence and Chandler's teeth cleaning. We might have to take the day tomorrow to recover from all this efficiency. There was an injury along the way and a pair of tights laid down it's life. (We're now in the market for a new pair, so if you see any on clearance, drop me a line. I'm serious. This girl loves to wear her denim dress with tights and silver sneakers.)

She wasn't super brave about her owie, but she did have a brave moment a little later. While I drove to the dentist, she'd told me, "I liked it last time when the lady gave me a break in the middle of putting the vitamins on my teeth." I suggested she ask the person today to do that. "No. I'm afraid to ask. I think I'll just let her finish." Hmm...she's so very like me. I want everyone to be comfortable and find it hard to ask for what I need sometimes. It's taken years to get better at confidently and pleasantly making requests. 

She was halfway through her cleaning and I was reading Green Eggs and Ham to Chandler, when she said, "Can I take a break in the middle of the vitamins?" Good girl. I'm pretty sure it was because the dental hygienist was wonderful and helped her feel comfortable enough to ask, but some of that anxiety comes in with us. We talked today in school about taking everyone's feelings into consideration when you're choosing what you're going to do, even our own. For lots of kids, the most natural thing is to be selfish and only do what sounds fun to them. For Cadence, she'll be tempted to disregard what she'd like to do, always going along with everyone else. I didn't get to today, but I'm going to pull her on my lap tomorrow and tell her how glad I was that she was brave enough to ask for what she wanted. 

Total spent: 8.02

Fun money: 3.07