Chatty Cathy

Okay, so having kids makes us all get used to our life being an open book as soon as they learn to talk. If Mama says (accidentaly) that a teacher is a quack, before you know it- the teacher knows you think they are a quack. If you think the lady taking your order was very rude and she happens to be the same one at the register the next time you go- "Look Mommy, it is the rude lady again!" will more than likely come from your party, even before the order; so therefore, you are afraid to place an order at all.

I have been there. It took me well into my third child (I'm evidentally a slow learner) to figure out what wasn't complimentary, needed to be spelled out- and best to it fast at that.

The one thing that I thought might get a bit easier as my kids got older was having a bit of privacy changing, going to the restroom, taking a bath or even talking on the phone.

My youngest child is now 10. She has figured out how to spell so I had to instill in her that what is said in our home, stays in our home, unless we say it is okay to share. She is good with that. The problem (well, not for her- only me) is that she follows me around everywhere going on and on like a "Chatty Cathy". Sometimes it is fun. I love to talk to her about how to wear her hair the next day for school or discuss her birthday presents she wants next go around but while I am trying to wash, shampoo and repeat; well- it gets a little overbearing. It never fails that while I am changing into my lounge clothes after we get home for the evening, the bedroom door will fly open and anyone in the hall can catch a glimpse of my winter white legs (and more).

The worst thing is trying to carry on a conversation with others. If I am on the phone with a friend, or one of her older siblings, she listens carefully. If she happens to miss a word or two, she is sure to ask what we were talking about. Sometimes it is cute. Other times, I am forced to run the saying "Patience is a Virtue" through my head several times before answering.

For now, I am just going to enjoy my nosey little 5th grader. I know all too well, that in a few short years, she won't listen to a word I say. She will care less about what I think she should wear. She won't give me the time of day because I just "won't understand a thing". She will be the wise one. She will be a teenager. Yeah, my little "Chatty Cathy" is looking pretty good right about now. One day, my big eyed, nosey, chatty, little girl will be just like the doll- a thing of the past. A beautiful, driver's licensed high school student that thinks she understands all the works of the world will stand in her place. That will be okay too though; I know how to pull their strings too- I have a couple of those in my collection as well.