My fae has shown great tenacity in the face of setbacks this year. Some are big, some were small, some just plain stupid and pretty much all of her own making.
The weather: this summer, I think we can all agree, failed to summer! It has been, at best, pathetic. This has not stopped my daughter insisting on playing outside everyday. It doesn’t matter if it’s March and the thermometer hasn’t made it off zero, or it’s August and it’s breaching 30. She WILL go outside. Recently she has learnt (much to my dismay) how to operate our very stiff patio door and so can let herself into the garden. So I now struggle to keep her in the house regardless. So despite me pointing out it had just finished chucking it down, she announced she was going to ride her bike. The bike was wet, so she found a towel (fortunately the one I use for the cat) and dried it. She then found it cold (it was about 10 degrees out) so she came back in and got a hoodie. When she complained of wet feet and it was pointed out she was barefoot, she returned once more and retrieved her shoes. I pointed out this time – when she complained that her shoes were uncomfy – that she might try socks as well and she stomped off to get some. By some miracle, she managed for the first and only time in living memory to put her own socks and shoes on. She also returned in a hat, scarf and gloves. When I suggested a jacket may be more appropriate, I was treated to a scornful look and was told in no uncertain terms that she ‘WAS GOING TO RIDE HER BIKE’
This performance took the best of fifteen minutes, she rode her bike for five minutes, and spent 20 minutes dekitting and huffing that I made her put everything away. The important thing was that she got to ride her bike.
Having a broken arm would have slowed most children down (I think) but my daughter took 5 minutes to dismantle the splint and learnt that the extra rigidity provided the splint was an excellent way of practicing handstands.
She also didn’t want to give up swimming and was quite content to take the splint off to continue going in the pool. So much for keeping it on at all times. We managed a week and that was a struggle. Three weeks was the total she wore it at all before she ‘lost it’.
So I don’t know if this counts as resourceful, determined or demented but so far nothing has got in her way.
Raising the Modern Fae 