Splinters, Barley & Cheerleading

I find it so interesting that all of my girls can be so different yet they all reflect some qualities of their dear mom, me.  Take for example my oldest daughter.  She has a weak stomach for medical aparatus that gets stuck in her. Immunizations, needles, getting her ears pierced (well, okay, so that's not medical), none of it flies with her.  This morning she came to me complaining about a splinter.  She was whining about how much it hurt. I look at her finger and see this barely visible speck of brown. To her you'd think it was a national emergency though. I tell her to get me a needle and some tweezers and she bravely does so.  We go into the kitchen to get some good light and I start to flick off the first layer of skin. You know what I'm talking about, we've all done it. There is no blood and just a flap of skin where you can then reach the splinter. I am not able to get it out so I just tell her that it will probably start to work itself out during the day.  She is breathing kind of heavy by this time, I'm thinking she is being dramatic.  But low and behold she turns around, stumbles toward the fridge, clutches it and collapses on the brown 70s vinyl that is our kitchen floor.  She passed out!  I was reminded of my own passing out in hospitals where I have to see tubes going in people.  Or of my passing out when i have blood drawn. I always warn them and they NEVER believe me. Suckers. They have to pick me up off of the floor when I do. There was even the time I got my ears pierced. And there is a reason why my 16 year-old does not have pierced ears. Yep, she suffers from the same disease I do.

As for my middle child, last night we discovered she loved barley. Yep, barley. The grain that is nutty and chewy and is often found in things like Beef & Barley soup.  I made some of this stuff, Beef & Barley soup, and my oldest said the barley was "weird". Shock, hurt, disappointment was what I felt. I LOVE barley, loved it since I was a kid. When other kids were begging for Chicken and Stars from the Campbell's aisle I was praising Chicken Gumbo and Beef & Barley, they are still my favorites. But then there was Emma last night. She declared it good, saying that she really liked the texture of the barley and had herself a second helping. Just like her momma!

And what about my youngest?  What is it about her that reflects oneness with me?  Cheerleading is one and cooking is another.  This was her 4th year of cheer and she wants to keep going all through high school.  She is getting really good and by the time she is in high school she will have surpassed my abilities as a cheerleader. She loves stunting and has the same role I did as a stunter. She loves to get the crowd involved and loves being around the football players. Lord, help me with that one, okay?  And her cooking skills are impressive for being 10. She can make anything with a recipe, knowing how to follow it and without making mistakes. I could do the same thing at her age. I have thought about getting her involved in a cooking 4-H club, like I did.  I think she would really enjoy it. 

It's kind of cool to see your children grow up and to see how different or alike they are from you and your husband, pretty cool indeed.