The 4 Webbs are gearing up for our trip to tornado alley for a visit with Aunt Mary. For some reason Kendra doesn't feel our wind-breaker jackets are preparation enough for an F-5 tornado. I'm not worried at all because Aunt Mary's house was destroyed LAST year by a tornado and we all know lightening never strikes the same place twice. right? RIGHT!
Kendra's backup plan is to transform the 4 Webbs into super heroes if trouble blows through while we are there. She will be Captain America
Layla will also be Captain America and Easton will be Thor. Not sure what he plans to do with a big mallet, but I'm sure he'll find a way to save the day.
Oh, wait! Spiderman! Now we're talking useful super powers. He's never seen any spiderman movie so I'm not sure how he knew to throw a pretend web from his wrist.
And maybe Layla will be better suited to survive a tornado as ironwoman?
Layla has never seen any ironman pictures or video footage so I have no idea how she knew the proper arm position for flight.
Smart cookies, indeed. Kendra and the twins made the most of a trip to the toy isle in Target. Having fun and being silly in public is a good thing to instill in kids. We do this so they avoid a phobia of public or turn into introverts.
I needed to deposit a check in the bank so I told Layla she could come with me for a mini-date with just the two of us. The bank is in the grocery store so we wondered around the toy isle at her request. For every item she picked up she said, "maybe i can get this for my birthday?".
I let her pick out a single rose just fun. She's seen me buy flowers for Kendra, but I wanted her to have her own special flower. I gave her 4 to choose from and (of course) she chose the pink one. Kendra cleaned it up and used a make-shift vase for it to sit on Layla's dresser.
And now for the "confessional" and journaling... Enough patting myself on the back for parenting. :)
I'm working through a struggle which is highly magnified having Layla around. I compliment her continuously and shower her with so many hugs and kisses all day, every day. It's the easiest and most natural thing for me to do. I understand her needs (attention, affection, and approval) and make a conscious effort every chance I get to meet those needs.
So what about Kendra? Why is it so difficult for me to treat her the same way I treat Layla? The difference between how I treat the two of them is only visible because now I have the two of them to compare. If it were just Kendra and I then I wouldn't see the disparity. Part of my excuse is that Layla shows me unconditional love. If I give her a hug then she sqeeeeeezes me back. I can see her countenance blossom as though she's literally soaking in my loving gestures. It doesn't matter what I have done (or not done) during the day.
Also, Layla doesn't expect anything from me. Everything I do is a gift and appreciated. She has no expectations so when I fail in some way she usually doesn't notice. Or when i forget my helmet she tells me I need to wear my helmet and leaves it at that.
The sad part is I know I should meet Kendra's needs more intently no matter what she does or doesn't do or say. The tough part is adjusting my behavior to actually act that way. Like any couple we have plenty of personal baggage to dig through and problems we manufacture daily. I just know there are improvements for me on the horizon and I need to figure this stuff out. An additional blessing of kids is the opportunities to improve myself which are presented only as a result of their existence.
So much to learn.
See you soon!
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