Miss Independence AKA Preschool Prima Donna

Just a few quick examples of life with a diva who is almost 3 but is going on 13........

FIRST NAME BASIS
So, Brianna has known her daddy's name for some time now and feels free to use it whenever the mood strikes her. Recently she's also figured out my name as well and can be heard strolling up to me and saying, "Hey Beth....." This was what happened at our little playgroup the other day. All the kids were playing and I guess Bree wanted to include me in the fun. She walked over and said, "Hey Beth, want to play cars?" In response I said, "Sure, and you can call me Mom." Another mom in the group looked at me and said, "Did she just call you Beth??!!" I know it must be a bit confusing for her, since she hears other people, like her daddy, call me Beth and not Mom, why I don't really want her calling me Beth. But, I thought the parent on a first name basis thing was more of a rebellious teen phase then a preschool phase?

DRESS FOR SUCCESS
Bree is very into dressing herself lately. This has led to some amusement on my part though, watching her turn in circles as she tries to find the other arm of her jacket (with one arm already inserted). Or, having her come out from her room with a horribly unmatched outfit, the shirt on correctly and a pair of pants on backwards and unzipped in the back to reveal that she has decided to go commando under there.... :)

WHINE AND DINE
Like all kids the older she gets the more Brianna is understanding social interactions and cause and effect. That is to say, she's figuring out how to push people's (her parents' in particular's) buttons to get what she wants rather effectively. In particular her whining drives us nuts. Prolonged exposure to high-pitched, insistent wailing is just not fun by any means. Our usual response to this behavior is to try to ignore it as best we can. We'll say, "I can't hear you when you're talking like that. Talk in a normal voice." Of course, despite saying this you can't help but let it get to you after a while, it just automatically raises your blood pressure and puts you on edge. Her grasp of this however was recently demonstrated to me very plainly....I don't even remember what exactly was going on but as happens quite often, Bree wanted something and her and I weren't exactly seeing eye to eye on it when she looked me directly in the eye and said to me, "Mom, don't make me whine!"