Ella Rose

I've been putting off my post about Ella.  She's very young and how I felt about her was complicated.  I resented her for a bit.  I resented the fact she made my plans more complicated.  I resented the fact she caused us to need a bigger vehicle.

She's here now though and these things aren't her fault.  I find the more time I spend with her the more I appreciate her uniqueness.  The more I realize she completes our family.  She's a bundle of energy and giggles.  I love how observant she is.  She loves to try and attack my keyboard/cellphone/whatever electronic is within her reach.  She especially loves my cellphone because it's a touch screen phone.  She's realized that if she touches the screen that it does stuff.

Watching her learn and grow has become the upturn to my day.  I regretted Ella, but I'm accepting of her now.  Being a parent isn't easy.  Being a mother isn't easy and as much as people don't want to admit it sometimes you don't love your children right away.  Sometimes it takes time to love them.  You're only human and this is okay.

Don't tell her that...

It seems the older my son gets the more he feels the need to pigeon hole Lily.  He tells her not to "talk like a man" or tries to tell her what she should like.  I don't know where he gets this.  I know it isn't from me and I know it isn't from Greg.  Greg lets Lily wear and do what she wants within reason.  She goes fishing, helps him when he's fixing things, and likes to sing.  She is her own child and he treats her like that.

Lily of course doesn't stand for it.  She is not going to let her brother try and dictate how she should behave and she lets him know that.

The question is how do I confront Dedrick about this?  At one point he asked me why I don't work.  He's also commented on whether I'm going to learn how to cook because I'm "just a mom".  I know he's not being sexist on purpose, but I'd really like to nip this in the bud.  I just don't know how to.