Julia Rose

Julia Rose is my fourth child and everything I have ever wanted to be. She is smart, witty, hard working, kind, loving, responsible, self confident and beautiful. Don't get me wrong, she has her "downfalls". She is super competitive, aggressive, very strong willed and opinionated. All of her "downfalls" can be assets once she matures and learns to use them to her advantage.

My job is to teach her to use her "downfalls" to her advantage. Raising a child with her type A personality is challenging at best. How do I calm her without breaking her spirit? How do I allow her freedom of expression, but teach her respect? It a fine line, but if she can learn to walk that line the world is at her fingertips. If she can't then will be tough and exhausting for her.

Just a little story so that anyone reading might understand her personality. Or so that she may laugh with me about it later. Julia has been wanting a Nitendogs game for her DS for awhile. She had $25 and wanted me to take her to the store to get the game she wanted. I told her that I thought that the game was $29.99 and that I was not going to give her the money for the rest. She insisted that the game was $19.99 and that she would have enough. Long story short the game was $29.99 and she got angry in the store because she couldn't get the game. She didn't make a scene or anything, she was just visibly angry to me.

When we got home I sent her to her room to sulk. About 10minutes later I called her out and explained to her that I couldn't just give her the money that she would have to earn the rest. I explained to her that if I just gave her things every time she wanted them she would never learn to wait for things and that could develop into a major problem later in her life. She calmed down and apologized.. And set out on a MISSION to earn the rest of the money for her game.

First she wanted to know if she could do something around the house to earn the money. I told her that she could possibly do some stuff around the house but they could not involve her regular chores (vacuuming, dusting, cleaning her room or taking care of her dog) for which she currently gets no payment. I consider her chores part of living in a household. So, we brainstormed a little and found a couple things she thought she could do and I told her I would pay her $3.00 for those things. Still not enough for the DS game.

So, now she's starting a home business. Julia's Nails and Stuff. She made a mission statement, a price list, a tip box, a reservation list and even an application to hire her brother Ricky as a masseuse. She now has a home office in her bedroom. She is offering package deals, manicure, pedicure, foot massage, back massage, head massage. And guess who her first customer is??? Yeah, you got it ... ME! It just so happens that the price on the package deal is ($7.00 plus don't forget the $1.00 tip) is just the same amount that she needs to buy her game. Hummmm, I think I just got bamboozled....???? By a nine year old...