Kind of how I think I probably acted when I hit adolescence.  But not how I acted at 8!  Then again, it’s possible my selective memory is in overdrive.  I suppose I also might have been a horror at 8.  

For example, I asked her an innocent question tonight at dinner and she barked at me and made ugly faces.  I wasn’t even criticizing her (which I am admittedly apt to do).  If I weren’t a peace-loving person, I would have been tempted to flex my muscles.  Instead I chose to ignore her and glare at her. Mature, I know.  But sometimes reverting to 8-year old behavior works wonders.

I find myself wondering – on a more frequent basis – what Chloe will be like in a few years.  Will she be a generally good, confident, trouble-free kid?  Will she be less hard on herself when she’s better able to keep things in perspective?  Or will she remain intense and self-critical?  I see so much of myself in her – many of the good things, but also some of the traits I wish I didn’t possess.  I guess only time will tell.

In the meantime, she and Sophie were battling to see who could annoy the other one the fastest.  Sophie, on one side, chanting “I win! I win!” over and over again, to an increasingly frustrated Chloe, who wanted nothing more than to shut her little sister up.  After failing to silence Sophie with physical antics, Chloe got smart.  And started chanting back, “You’re annoying!  You’re annoying!”  For a solid 5 minutes, the two of them performed a cacophonous

symphony.  Until they got bored with each other.  The joy of youth.