And when she was good, she was very, very good...

... But when she was bad she was horrid.

How in the world did Henry Wadsworth Longfellow know my child?!?

My mom reminded me of this poem (nursery rhyme?) the other day. She said Jena reminder her of it. Regularly.

There was a little girl, who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead,
And when she was good, she was very, very good,
But when she was bad she was horrid.
She stood on her head, on her little trundle bed,
With nobody by for to hinder;
She screamed and she squalled, she yelled and she bawled,
And drummed her little heels against the winder.

Her mother heard the noise, and thought it was the boys
Playing in the empty attic,
She rushed upstairs, and caught her unawares,
And spanked her, most emphatic.

-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Yep, that 3rd & 4th line fit my baby to a tee.

Because there is very little middle ground with her.

When Jena is good, she is very very good. She's an angel. She's gosh darn near perfect. Seriously. She's sweet & kind & generous and all kinds of good things.

The last time she went to the babysitter, the sitter told me that she should be paying me to watch her, because Jena is so sweet & well-behaved & helpful. We hear this regularly from care givers, teachers, other adults, etc, etc, etc. We experience it ourselves. When I say my kid is awesome, I really mean it. I honestly have never seen a better behaved child in my life.

Except...

when she's not.

When she's bad, well, she's horrid. She screams at the top of her lungs, kicks, hits, spits in your face. She is stubborn as her momma a mule and twice as strong. She will throw tantrums, lie flat on the floor (in public) throw things, and if all else fails (or she just wants to make it interesting) she will try to outsmart you. And make no mistake, my child is very, very smart.

Oh, yes... when she is good, she is amazing. But when she is bad, well, that's pretty amazing to see as well.

There is very little middle ground with this child. It is rare for me to say "oh, she just threw a little fit today". Nope. Either she's good or bad. Never just okay. Never just a little misbehaving. It's very very good, or very very bad. Period.

"And when she was good, she was very, very good.
But when she was bad she was horrid"