IT’S A GIRLY WORLD

Written by Sheree Hoddinett

Girls, girls, girls. Dresses and hair bows. Barbie dolls and make up kits. Sparkling shoes and lip gloss. Sassy attitudes and arguments over what they can wear (at the ages of 5 and 7 mind you!!). There’s a lot involved in raising girls. Kids in general, really. One of the hardest things I find about having two girls is I haven’t always been really girly myself. Although I grew up as a girl, doesn’t mean I know everything. I have my moments, but more often than not I’m most comfortable in shirt and shorts and my hair pulled back in a mum bun. Getting dressed up is a rarity. Make up on my face is like hidden gold. It’s hard to come across. But when the occasion calls for it, sure I make an effort.

I’m definitely no expert on raising girls at all. While I was once their age, I was living it and that’s a whole other story in itself. But there’s many things I’ve learned (more like had to adapt to) and I’m still learning, in the short space of time my girls have been Earth side with me:

• Girls can be gross too. From funny noises to bodily functions (I think you can guess what I’m talking about), little girls and boys can be just as bad as each other!
• Little girls can be tough creatures. My youngest daughter likes to be rough (she punches her older sister all the time, multiple times) and can climb, jump and wrestle with the best of them. I can say with a lot of certainty that she will likely handle herself pretty well.
• Hair brushing can sometimes be a mission. There’s screaming, crying and lots of pain. I’m not just talking about the child having their brushed either, haha!
• While we’re still talking about hair, when it comes time to washing it, especially in Summer when we’ve been sweating a lot and swimming, I cop more arguments than anything else.
• Much like all other siblings, they love each other one second and the next a fight ensues over pretty much nothing. I already know this will continue for many, many years!
• The drama! So I have one daughter who is a bit (ahem, a lot) on the dramatic side. She trips and falls and the world ends. Her sister has her moments, but she seems to cope a lot better. When they’re tired and emotional, it’s all over. All bets are off and you just need to buckle in and sit back to enjoy the ride.
• Try not to sweat the small stuff. I have been told many times I’m hated and not liked. It hurts. But 5 minutes later I’m back at the top of the favourite list again.
• The crying over absolutely nothing. Sadly as a woman, I do relate to that. But even with that in mind, it can still be hard to tolerate!
• I thought I had better put something good in the list. The cuteness can make your heart swell. My girls have been through some tough times but their resilience does show, as does their soft side. They know how to lift Mummy’s spirit at the best of times but when I’m feeling a bit low, they can make things even better!

I’ll be the first to admit that although I feel fairly clueless with two girls, I’m not really sure how I would have dealt with boys. I have enough trouble dealing with the grown up version, haha! I keep hearing from friends that raising boys is just a whole other level in itself. They can have it, haha! As painful as it can be, and yes I know the worst is yet to come, I’ll stick with my sassy pair. They may drive me to the brink of insanity (and to drink) all the time but yeah I guess they’re alright. They’ll do, unless someone wants to swap? I’m kidding! Except when it’s an emotional meltdown and then they can go to whoever wants them!

On that note, feel free to drop by my website anytime www.shereekim.com for a free laugh, a bit of commiseration or just to get lost in someone else’s crazy parenting world. No matter what, my girls are pretty good, most of the time anyway. Until next time….