Harvard, Prison or Girls Gone Wild

My daughter is amazing.

Just four years old. So stinkin' smart.

Everything comes easy for her. At least so far.

She is independent, stubborn and resilient. And thank goodness, because her little life already has experienced more unfairness than any child's should. She is going to have to be strong, so it is a good thing her strength appears to come naturally.

She never forgets. She sometimes brings up memories -- stories from many months gone by -- and reminds me of them as if they happened yesterday, down to the tiniest detail. She even has recounted special things we did more than a year ago, things I never would have expected her to remember.

She is incredible. And, oh, how she has been such a gift -- the one aspect of my life these past several months -- these horrible, horrible months -- that never fails to make me smile.

But does she have her moments ....

Two days ago I was checking out at the Walmart. I am trying to make sure my autistic son doesn't take off. (You see, the boy who once was so good about staying near to me and listening to instructions has now developed a habit of running from me in all open spaces. And, wow, is he fast. It is just so funny to tick Mom off. ) I am trying to get all the bagged groceries into the cart. I am trying to get out the credit card. I am trying to keep my son from pulling the candy bars off the shelves and opening them right there on the spot.

And, what do I see out of the corner of my eye but my little girl -- so full of sweetness and love -- wrapping up a princess cell phone and some lip gloss in her winter coat. She bundles up her loot and turns to walk out of the store with me, carrying the coat casually under her arm like she has not a care in the world.

JESUS!!! My daughter is an attempted shop-lifter!!

OK, so if I didn't have my son with me, I probably would have stopped and had some big discussion with her about what she was doing. I would have gone into detail about the wrongness of it all--that when people steal it makes the rest of the world have to pay more--that it isn't right to take something from a store without paying just like it wouldn't be right for a stranger to come into her home and take off with her favorite toys.

But I did have my son. And taking my eyes from him for even a second these days can result in all sorts of trouble.

So, I just said, "What you are doing is called stealing. It is wrong and we are not going to do it. Put everything back."

As surprised as I was to see my daughter crafting a plan to steal, I also was cracking up, just a bit, on the inside.

Oh, how she is going to keep me on my toes, and in ways so very different from her brother. She already is filled with personality and has attitude to match. I am going to have to outsmart her, and when that is giving me a bit of trouble when she is four, I can't even imagine what life might be like when she is a teen.

Her newest little quirk is wanting to take all her clothes off when she gets home from school. Sometimes she will go through three or four outfits, but frequently she will want to just sit around in her birthday suit. (Yes, you are remembering correctly, it is her BROTHER who is on the autism spectrum, not her).

What is up with that???

If only, I suppose, we all could be so comfortable with our nakedness!

I don't know what the future has in store for my stealing, stripping, super smart girl, but, wow, does she enrich my life. She is my greatest joy, my reminder that life will bring lots of laughter my way -- despite the worries regarding her disabled brother, despite the pain of divorce.

But for now, I'll just be sure to shake out that coat before leaving the Walmart.