Doing the right thing

Little Fish has taken to checking up before she does all sorts of things.
Grabbing a box of pens, taking off the lid and about to throw it on the floor, she pauses, looks up at me and asks "Am I doing the right thing?"

Emptying the magnetic letters onto the floor and stirring them into a soup with a stack of photographs, just before adding the prune juice she stops, looks up, and asks again.

I'd love to say this is wonderful, and that on being asked to decide what the right thing might be, or told that it quite definitely is not the right thing to do, that she then stops instantly. Alas, she's still a four year old girl, and after several "OK, Mummy I do the right thing" we still get the "I am NOT wanting to do the right thing." But hey, I can sympathise with that. And somehow, a small child who can tell me she is choosing to do the wrong thing is somehow less infuriating than a child who appears to have no idea why it might not be a good idea to rip up the books, flood the bathroom, and stab her knees with pens until they bleed. I can work with that.

She's making strides, growing. I love it. I could post something about how we might be coming out of this pit of tantrums and temper, except that as I write this, she's sitting in the bathroom screaming at our carer. The right thing to do would be to go and intervene, but it turns out I am not wanting to do the right thing.

Grolly turns one this week. Little Fish decided she needed a Birthday Cake. And a party - a cat party. What does a cat party involve, I hear you ask? Ham and pate and lots of singing apparently. A chocolate sponge cake and a candle, and we had to thank her for having a Birthday.

I took the opportunity to ask Little Fish what she'd like for her own Birthday later this month. "Ummmm, we can invite Grannie and Grandad acos we 'ave not seen them for a long time*, and we 'ave a Cake and candles and we sing and that is all." All? No party? Nope. No presents? Nope. No other food? "We can go to a dinner shop?" Perhaps we can. I might just have to provide a present despite her not wanting one, but I hope she doesn't feel short-changed later by the lack of a party. Unlikely, as she's been adamant about not attending any of her friends' parties for the last six months. I'll not push it; cake and Grandparents and possibly a dinner shop sounds pretty good to me.

Meanwhile, Grolly had a very nice party, even if Goway ate all the ham. Both Grolly and Gotcha think the best gift ever was yesterday's cat hole, even if they haven't quite got the hang of rain yet.

*that'll be since last Sunday, when we had lunch with them!