Dirty Laundry: SE7EN

It's begun.

The horror movie of motherhood.

The Se7en year itch.

One minute I'm the best thing that has ever happened to her, the next, she wants to put my severed head in a cardboard box and mail it to my husband.

What the?

How did this little, easy going lady turn into an academy award winning drama queen?

Is it the year? Really? I wanna know. Is it because she's more aware of the world around her than ever before and let's face it. It's scary. Is it the fact that I am still treating her like a baby? (But she IS a baby!) Does she want to be treated like a "big girl" and how exactly do those things get treated anyhow?

I am at a total loss.

Can you tell?

All I know is I am savoring those moments when she says to me, "Mommy, I don't know what I would do without you in my life!"

Because the next minute she's screaming, "YOU WISH I WAS DEAD! I'LL KILL MYSELF SO YOU WON'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH ME ANYMORE!!!!!" (That's when her head starts spinning and she's cursing me and Jesus and all that is holy.) I'm not kidding.

Those loving moments are still many. Yet, those horror movie dramas are also pretty prevalent in our lives right now. I'll take the good with the bad gladly. But some light shed on the subject of horror movies would benefit everyone in the household. No?

We had a wonderful 7th birthday celebration. It was an "everything I ever wanted in my whole life" kinda celebration. I got much praise for the party, the guests, the food choices...I was a rockstar.

Rock on!

Then, New Year's Eve came rolling around and we rang in the new year at exactly 11:46pm with a knock down, WWE, super tap out cage match. I was devastated that we brought in 2011 with such a scene. Of course, I blame myself. I blame my lack of patience, my lack of motherhood know-how, my lack of a mother to help me out with this crap...And I get down on myself.

But one thing I've learned while 7 crept up behind us...It's not all my fault. Sometimes she's just not gonna get her way, or be happy 24/7, or even accept everything I say as law anymore. Isn't that what growing up is all about. Feeling your oats at 7? Feeling your oats while your daughter feels her oats at motherhood?

I accept the things I can not change. I'm courageous enough to change the things I can. And I have some wisdom to know the difference between the two. I've come a LONG way baby!

I just hope the 7 year old doen't plan on decapitating my in my sleep.

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;

Enjoying one moment at a time;

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;...