I love my child Lynn, but she also costs me a lot of energy

It was just so pleasantly quiet...

Our diva was actually staying over at grandpa and grandma's and as pitiful as it sounds, how. nice. is. that! Because as fun as she is, our Lynn, she also drains so much energy. Especially from me, because Lynn is a real mommy's girl. I call her 'my shadow' as well. She doesn't leave my side for a moment, copies everything I do, and wants as much attention and as much time with me as possible. And I can assure you: that is utterly exhausting!

Bouncy ball

Lynn is an incredibly fun child, let's get that straight. Always cheerful, always enthusiastic, and always willing to help you with chores around the house. Nice, right? Well, not so much! Because Lynn is like a whirlwind. She destroys more than she helps. Moreover, she's like a bouncing ball: she literally bounces off the walls. When she tells you something, she never stands still. No, she bounces. Literally! Just like Tigger from Winnie the Pooh: boing, boing, boing, boing. Try to focus on what she's saying. And the number of times I've gotten an unexpected punch in the jaw from her bouncing, I can no longer count on one hand. The times she jumped on me when I was just sitting down quietly, I can't count those either. Foot in my stomach? Been there. Elbow in my chest? Done that! Used as a climbing frame? Yup, check that off! It's not the child's fault, really, because it's just the way she is. In the womb, she was never still, not even at night. A little design flaw, I believe...

Whirlwind

No, then that whirlwind capacity: she's just like “The Flash” from the Marvell comics. “Whoosh!” and the debris flies around your ears! Everywhere she goes she leaves a trail of mess! During the day, when Lynn is at school, the house is quiet and tidy. But as soon as she gets home, it takes less than five minutes to see exactly where she's been: shoes here, socks there (not necessarily near each other), banana peel on the table, half-eaten apple on the couch, and candy wrappers on the stairs like a Hansel and Gretel trail. Goodbye peace. Goodbye tidy house.

Attention seeker

Lynn is very much 'in your face'. Or rather: in my face! 'Look mom, see mom, come mom, you have to look mom.' She never sits still at the table and is always up to something. The number of times her cup of drink has spilled all over the place, I don't even want to talk about that. Nor do I want to talk about her non-stop attention-seeking during meals. She has the table manners (and hand-eye coordination) of a toddler! With my hawk-mom-eyes, I see everything crystal clear, even from the corner of my eye. The trick is knowing when to intervene and when not to. But sometimes she does things that you just really don't expect! Other kids at the table just eat their spaghetti. Mine says: 'Look mom, I'm Rapunzel' and lets a handful of spaghetti strands dance over her hair (Without sauce, thankfully...). 'Nice long hair, huh?'. Or recently, when she just had her tooth out: 'Look mom!' Or actually, it was more like: 'Pfijfff wawa!'. She had stuffed a piece of her kaiser roll into the gap. And I have thousands more anecdotes like that.

Sigh...

Of course, I can't do without this child. Because at the same time, she's also so much fun to be around. With her silly antics, she always makes me laugh and she amazes me every day with her unique perspective on the world and her bold clothing choices. I love this child. But still... When she's not around, that's when I realize how much energy she demands from me. So a weekend at the grandparents' every now and then? YES PLEASE!!!!

DAPHNE