The Dramatic Arts

I thought I knew all about drama because I was once a little girl - and a teenage girl. But alas, I have discovered that you don't really know drama until you actually have a little girl.

Even better? Two little girls.

AK has an awesomely irritating fake cry. She brings it on easily and often when she doesn't get her way. I ignore it, but it can definitely be grating. And the best part is when her big sister feeds into it, offering up a soothing "It's okay, AK! Big sister is here," as she opens her arms for a big hug.

Luckily for me and the Hoos, AK whips out the heavy drama when we are in public. Sitting down in the middle of a store and fake crying because she wants to go left and we want to go right. The good news is, if you start walking away, calling "C'mon, Drama, let's go,"she gets up and follows. But she doesn't stop the fake crying. And I think many people in our local Target much actually think I gave my child the name "Drama." I didn't, but maybe I should have.

LP, if you can believe it, is even more showy. I think it is because her displays of drama are less often, so she just bottles it all up until a random explosion of ugly tantrum-ness.

Like yesterday. When she wanted to go swimming, but she didn't want to put her bathing suit on because she was comfy. She didn't want me to change her, she didn't want to change, she didn't want to wait and change in the locker room, and yet, she still wanted to go swimming and "it" was my fault.

I am not really sure what "it" is or was. But I did find the whole thing silly.

And then irritating. Because even if we weren't going swimming, we still needed to go and pick up AK from day care. So, after putting her coat and shoes on only to have them removed, I carried her to the car, sans coat and shoes, man-handled her into her booster, and drove off.

She loved this, as I am sure you can imagine.

"I wa-wa-wa-want Daddyyyyyyyy."

"We can call Daddy when you calm down, he can't understand you when you are worked up."

"YES HE CAN! You are making my throat hurt!"

"No, LP, you are making your throat hurt by yelling, calm down."

"YOU ARE MAKING MY THROAT HURT BECAUSE YOU ARE MAKING ME YELL! LET ME TALK TO DADDY OR I AM GOING TO BREAK OUT OF THE CAR!"

The Drama continued as I tried to get her coat and shoes on so we could go into the day care center. Red faced and wet-cheeked, we finally made it in and she ran ahead of me calling, "AK! I need a huggy and kissy."

The shocking thing - this is what they can do with only a few years of practice. What happens when they have a decade of stage experience?! Heaven help me. And readers, please assure me I am not alone!