New Olympic Sport

I swear to you if pouting was an Olympic sport, PB would get a gold metal today.  I'm sure hormones are contributing to this particular trait this morning.  However, its been two days without KC who's out of town on a work trip.  She's been a mood since right before he left.  Let me back up a bit...

I think it all started on Friday night when she called her friends that are still at the orphanage.  We had to try for a good 30 minutes before we were able to get a hold of them. She talked to several of them during that call.  She talked for about 90 or so minutes (thank goodness skype is only 2.3 cents a minute!).  She was very excited about the call...and was literally jumping around the house she was so excited.  She really enjoyed talking with them since she hadn't since we got home from China.  She has such a difficult time understanding the 13 hour time difference.  I cannot tell you how many times I have explained to her, she still seems to forget. (Another one of those moments I have to remember she's really only 7 or 8.)  At any rate, she was very happy.  I'm quite sure it was very late before she was finally able to fall asleep.

Saturday seemed fine.  Sunday, however, was a tough day at our house.  Jelly seemed to be in a mood and was behaving badly (hitting, spitting, screaming, etc.).  But she was behaving that way to everyone...it was not aimed at just one person.  So, after Jelly went to bed, PB started a conversation (via translator) about how her sister was a horrible child.  It then moved to Google translate...where she further told me she did not like her sister because she was "not good".  The bottom line was that she did not feel that we were addressing the poor behavior Jelly was expressing.  She was concerned that Jelly would be even more mean and naughty when she got older.  PB felt that her friends' sisters were all very good, but her sister was not.  I tried to explain to her that I guaranteed that her friends had moments when everything was not rosie.  She disagreed.  Then the tears came.  The sadness in her eyes...it made me want to embrace her to provide comfort (she wanted nothing to do with the embrace). I suggested we call one of her friends, M, who's been home since September and has a younger sister.  At first, she didn't want to.  But, an hour later, she said yes she did want to call her.

So, after an hour of us talking about the same things (us saying, the girl is FOUR YEARS old...sometimes they misbehave. That's what 4 yr olds do).  She called M.  M's mom and I have chatted on numerous occasions. They cried together on skype.  M's mom tried to help M explain to PB how difficult it was when she first came home.  How her sister had trouble sharing her mom & dad as well.  That this is all new for Jelly, too.  We ended up on the phone for 2 hours.  Poor KC had to get up ridiculously early to catch his early flight.  He wanted to go to bed early, but this conversation started at 7:30pm, and he stuck it out until the end.  PB would ask M to tell us something.  One thing she said was that the way Jelly acted was like a stick going into her heart.  (A little dramatic, I would say.)  At any rate, I knew the entire discussion and pain she felt had very little to do with Jelly and everything to do with PB's realization that the vacation was over.  Her friends were still at the orphanage (although one is meeting her forever family in a few days).  She knew her safe place at the orphanage. She knew her place at the orphanage.  She could stay away from people she didn't care for (when she didn't care for them) at the orphanage.  But here, this is forever.  She hasn't found her "safe place" when she was sad or hurt or frustrated.  She realizes that she's not going back.  I think that is exciting on one hand and on the other hand she wants what she is familiar with.  I can appreciate that. 

At the end of the entire thing, she said she could forgive her sister for not being kind (she is FOUR after all!) like it never happened.  Yesterday she woke up still a bit mopey.  We went to the zoo with some friends.  I thought she'd enjoy it...she loves animals and she loves zoos.  She did not like it.  When I asked her why, she said because there was no peacock.  Seriously???  You mean being literally within arms reach of giraffes (another favorite animal) wasn't good?  I said, well, that's too bad, as I'm sure we'll be here several more times in the future (we have a membership).  As I was discussing it with KC last night, I realized the reason she probably did not like it was because in China the animals are in cages with cement floors and bars.  In fact, I would venture to guess the cages for a tiger is smaller than my 17'x18' living room.  Our zoo has more natural habitat areas.  The elephants, giraffes, zebras and gazelles have over 5 acres to roam on.  They have several areas where you can see them, but they are not RIGHT IN YOUR face like in China.  The tiger's habitat is probable an acre, so you don't always get to see them.  These are the kinds of zoos she's familiar with.  So from that perspective, I can see how she wouldn't like it.  She liked the cheetah area because they were pacing right up by the window.  But she was all mopey at the zoo, too...so I don't know what her deal was.  She did eventually get over it and was better toward the end.

When we got back, all of us were tired.  Jelly got up before 5am and I hadn't gotten into bed until after 11pm.  I had slept horrible, too.  So, we all took a nap.  Then she woke up and just complained about how cold she was.  I suggested she go outside (it was over 100* out) to warm up.  She didn't want to do that. She just wanted to grumble about being cold.  I suggested she get the mail.  She didn't want to do that either.  So, Jelly & I walked down there...and was mad about that, but she eventually got over it (I guess).

Today she didn't want to go for a short walk (normally she loves to go for walks).  So, Jelly & I just went around the neighborhood.  I mean, really.  I guess I need to get used to having the teen girl in my house...and they tend to pout and mope around.  I just have so little patience for that type of behavior regardless of who has it!