By: Revanche

My kids and notes: Year 10.5

September 10, 2025

Life with JB

JB has been unusually clingy with me lately, constantly wanting to hold my hand (which leads to fights with Smol Acrobat over the hand they want to hold), constantly wanting hugs, constantly needing to be in the same room as me when we’re home together. I’m feeling smothered this summer.

I was mildly horrified by my therapist’s suggestion that this is partly because JB might be emulating me now but she may be right. Dammit. I don’t know what to make of that, they’ve been PiC’s kid so long.

They’re also moving out of their mostly pink and purple but generally rainbow (never black) stage into a solids and black with sparkles stage. (SmolAc is fimly in their own rainbow stage.)

Life with Smol Acrobat

Remember when I used to gripe that I couldn’t even have private bathroom time because the dogs would always open the door and stare at me until I came out? Well, I found something worse. I opened the door late at night to a Smol Acrobat just standing there, silently. I about jumped out of my skin! “WHAT are you DOING THERE??” They were upset that a stuffy was not in its appointed place, but PiC was asleep so they couldn’t complain to him.

We’ve been dealing with their little temper tantrums, generally short but very intense, when they don’t like an answer they’ve been given. I thought they’d grow out of that intense reaction, but nope. It’s going to take a lot more active adjusting. I’ve been telling them calmly (most of the time. Sometimes less calmly) that they need to use their words to ask for what they want instead of stomping their feet and snarling like a rabid cougar. (Mistyped that as rabbit cougar and now I’m going on of that tangent.) They are very resistant in the moment but I’m seeing some improvement day to day. Usually when told to go start their shower routine, if I stick with mine instead of PiC’s, they snarl and wail. After a solid week of firmness, they asked if they could do it the other way ’round instead and I agreed “because you asked so politely”. It’s slow but we’re making tiny steps of progress.

Precious Moments

SmolAc trying very hard to get their way: Can we eat our snack? I’m just asking. If you say no, den I will say “yes, mommy“.

****

PiC told SmolAc to go “Say good night, and you’re not coming back for another round of good nights!”

“Ok!” SmolAc happily replies. Then proceeds with his good nights: “Good night leggy. Good night toe-y. Good night other leggy. Good night other toe-y. Good night eyebrows. Good night cheek. Good night other cheek. Good night nose. Good night ears. Good night chin.”

****

JB was minding SmolAc for me during one of my flares. OH: I won by a couple hundred points.
SmolAc: You won? So, I woose (lose)?
JB: Yeah.
SmoAc: Aw.

****

PiC: mom’s work friends are probably already here.

JB, listening: I hear them laughing. They’re probably making jokes with curse words.

Me: oh like you haven’t heard those words before.