Nemo

Why is Finding Nemo one of the easiest Disney movies to quote? We sing "Just keep swimming" for tough moments, squawk "Mine!" to break up the tension when the kids get possessive, and speak whale regularly in this household. Today I'm reminded of a different moment that comes shortly after "just keep swimming"...



This is what it's like to come home at the end of a wonderful day of work, or to have a fantastic day hanging out with my kids, and then in the 15 minutes before bedtime Eliana completely loses all composure or semblance of cooperation and becomes a defiant, screaming mess. And yes, that is exactly what happened tonight.

It's like eating a delicious meal and then in your very last bite of dessert biting into something unrecognizable.

I get that having to do something you don't want to (go to bed) and being really tired (because it's. your. bedtime.) is a bad combination. But it can still leave both of us feeling completely disconnected and frustrated right as we are saying goodnight. When we have both calmed down, I'll go in to talk with her, and sometimes this is exactly what she needs. Other times it just starts the whole cycle over again.

Thankfully this isn't too common of a scenario; in fact, tonight's episode reminded me just how much less frequently this is happening now than it used to. I also help myself wind down from it by reminding myself that she knows she is truly loved, even in the rough moments.

It also helps to remind myself of how awesome she is:
E, to male family friend: "So, when are you going to have another baby?"
MFF: "Oh, we're not having any other babies. When are your parents going to have another baby?"
E: "They're not either... my daddy already had the surgery for that."