Power Plays

For those of you out there with daughters, let is ruminate together...

As my 11-year-old grows, I find what I shall call "The Gremlin" creeping into our lives more and more. I never had a sister (or a brother, for that matter) so the hormones (The Gremilin) of impending puberty are really a new experience for me. Case in point:

Never to be one to pass on a good deal, and since it was such a nice night, we decided to head to the new A&W in IGH. Hey, you can't beat 2 hamburgers for $2. And since my dear Emma has suddenly discovered at age 7 that hamburgers are actually tasty, we thought this was a Home Run.

So, after a quick review of the menu, Kris and I went through the order:

4 Hamburgers
- 1 with Pickles Only (Emma)
- 1 with Ketchup Only (Hannah)
- 2 with Ketchup/Mustard/Pickles (Kris and I)
1 Large Fry (to split)
1 Regular Onion Rings (for me and Kris)
4 Rootbeer (16oz for 5 cents...can't beat that!)

I'm thinking: Cool, feeding the four of us for under $10. A rare and and auspicious event!

I did not hear the car door open, but nevertheless, the Gremlin arrived, and she was not pleased.

Hannah: "I would like a cheesebuger."

Kris: "Not tonight. That's not what the special is."

Hannah: "But I like cheeseburgers."

Kris: "Yes, so do I. But that's not what we are doing tonight. I am having a hamburger, and so are you."

Hannah: "But can't they just take the hamburger, and add a slice of cheese?"

Kris: "Yes, but then it will cost more."

Hannah: "OK."

Kris: "No, not OK, because that is not what we are doing tonight. We are all getting hamburgers, because that is the special."

Hannah: "But why can't I have cheese? Can't they just put a slice on it? I really want a cheeseburger..."

Kris: "We know you want cheese, but that is not the deal they are offering tonight. We are all having hamburgers. No cheese."

Hannah: "Then I don't want anything." (The Gremlin is digging in her heels, and the pouting has begun.)

OK...up to this point I have kept my mouth shut. I do not know if Hannah fully understands it yet, but she knows how to push my buttons. She just does not yet grasp when she is doing it, or how to do it on command. I'm not sure which one. But I think the day is coming, and woe to me on that day.

So, this goes on a few more times and finally I say: "Fine, you sit, watch us eat, and when we get home, you can have cereal, or something from the fridge."

My dear Emma, who lives to get one up on her sister, says: "We have Cheerios; you (Hannah) don't like Cheerios." I nearly cracked up, which would have been uncool at this point. Gotta' stay strong.

So, after some additional back and forth, Hannah sees the reality of her situation and comes to the conclusion that something is truly better than nothing and concedes to the hamburger (however, the pout remains).

Realize, however, that The Gremlin is a fickle and flighty thing. Yes, the pout did continue for the entire time I was placing the order (a fairly lengthy time due to the rookie taking our order). However, I could feel a change in the mood. I somehow, even without looking, could sense that the pout had disappeared. It was not quite as chilly in the car. Could the empty stomach be overpowering the Gremlin? Could Hannah really understand that she was being silly to make such a fuss over a slice of cheese?

Nope. Not my Hannah...

"So, what are we getting for desert?"

Ah, that's my prepubescent girl. Nothing if not consistent.

All you Dads with little girls, be warned. I think it gets worse before it gets better.

It does get better, right?

What do they say about the best laid plans?

So much for my big plans to update once a week.

I make my first entry on the my new blog, commit to a weekly post, and then promptly forget about it. I could chalk it up to the fact that the Deyo family has been extremely busy, but while true, wouldn't really explain why it didn't happen. Bottom line is that I blew it.

A lot has happened since August 18.

However, this will all have to wait. Other priorities beacon...

Again?

Sometimes I'm too ambitious. Sometimes, I just lack direction. I'm not positive which it is with my blogging habits, but I have a strong feeling that it is the later.

So, I'm giving this a try again.

I wanted to try to publish something daily, but since I couldn't make that work last time, wouldn't I just be setting myself up for failure, again?

Alright then, something more manageable. My goal: one post per week. That sounds reasonable.

If I find something post-worthy, then maybe it will be more frequently, but weekly at a minimum. You may see things about my family, events in our life (interesting or not) things we do, and places we go.

I know that my old blog is totally gone, and there is no one out there seeing this. So, for now, this is for me.