Strong Personalities

We quietly unite at malls, daycares, schools, and social events. The hushed and frustrated tones of another parent speaking to their preschooler about “good behavior” when outside of home base. Our children are referred to as “Strong Personalities”. I hear you, I see you, and I stand by you to give you support. Our little people are not model citizens. They buck the list of room rules. They do not color within the lines.

The frustration tends to mount with each less than stellar report from an adult that spends their day with our children. Today I found myself gathering up prized toys into a bag for a punishment regarding today’s behavior at daycare. I was mumbling to myself about the number of times we have gone over the simple rules of No Baby Talk, Look Your Teachers and Hear Their Words, Control Your Body. My hand stilled. My heart sank.

A 4 year old should be silly. As frustrating as it is for adults – they NEED to be silly. Their bold personalities may help them to stand up for what they believe in later in life. To fearlessly stand for SOMETHING. Don’t we want that?

Embrace your tiny terrors. One day they may do great things and not just fall in step and stand in line while bad things happen to people around them. They are bold. They do not color within the lines. They are not always Model Citizens. They question. If we are careful to raise them to respect, be loyal, have honor, and refuse to be bystanders - we could be raising warriors for the weak and voiceless.  

 Let’s unite and refuse to let the ripples in the day turn into waves that impact our time with our children. Their childhood is so fleeting and responsibilities of the teen years will soon weigh them down.  Let’s unite and find the humor in the frustrating occurrences….it’s honestly ok to do that. A secret handshake would also be cool to have.

About the Author:
Dana Rossignol is a mother of 3 boys with strong personalities and loud voices. The oldest is 19 and currently at West Point, the middle is 17 a deep feeler and a champion of the underdogs, and the youngest is 4 and trouble. Yes, same baby daddy.