This is Baili. She is 6 years old. She likes doing math, reading, writing and well being silly whenever she can. If you ask me she is pretty darn smart for her age. She is inquisitive, she is very observant and she is listening even if you think that she is not (there are times though that she really does not listen...its selective I think).Let me tell you a story about my daughter...
I all started about a month and a half ago when I was talking on the phone with her while she was visiting her dad. She was telling me about some of the fun things that she had been doing on her visit. One thing she said shocked me..."Mom guess what? I had a macchiato (which is a coffee drink) today!" Me- "WHAT? Baili you drank a coffee?" the conversation continued and I we talked about how coffee is bad for us and that next time she if offered something like that she should say no thank you and ask for hot chocolate instead (I also had a firm talking to with her dad, some words might include "you idiot, hypocrite, SHE'S 6 etc).
Since this time she has spoken regularly about that experience and has voiced how much she would like her dad to stop drinking coffee. She asks, but no response has been given to that, until.....Last Sunday.
Baili is in the kitchen talking to me while I prepare dinner. She tells me again (this is a daily thing she tells me) "mom I really want my dad to stop drinking coffee" I tell her to keep asking and one day he might stop. She then stops and says mom I need to call my dad! I say ok and let her call him. While talking to him and begging him to stop drinking coffee he says to her, well Baili I want you to stop eating sugar....I then see the wheels spin in her head and she says OK!
She says ok dad I will make you a deal, I will not eat sugar this week if you will not drink coffee this week. One week dad that's all I am asking for. He says with some surprise in his voice "really? ok deal"
They hang up and she tells me all about the deal (even though I heard it all because she puts the phone on speaker). I tell her I am very proud of her and that I know she can do it.
Monday night we are at dinner and I say ohhh we have leftover pie in the fridge we need to eat (from Thanksgiving) and I say if they eat all their dinner they can have a piece. Baili quickly asks if there is sugar in the pie, I tell her there is and I was sorry. She says ok mom I need to call my dad. Hahahaha. I knew what she was going to tell him, but I let her do it and I did not say a word. She calls and tells him the deal is off. He quickly agrees tells her goodbye and she is off the phone and just sits in her chair with her head down. She does not say a word. I ask her what is wrong after a few minutes. She says that she feels really bad inside and that she thought she made a bad choice. We talk some about the Holy Ghost and what those feelings might be. I explain that sometimes its hard to not have sugar, and the same goes for her dad not having coffee. I told her though that she will be able to have sugar again next week, and I told her I would not eat any sugar either. She said ok and called her dad back and told him the deal was back on. When she got off the phone she told me with tears in her eyes that she felt so much better about not giving up and not having sugar for the week.
I am so proud of her. She is amazing. This whole thing took place on her terms, she formulated the idea, she carried it out and she is such an example to me. I hope that some eyes are opened because of what she did. I hope that not only I learn from this but that her dad does to. I hope that I can work that hard for something I want so bad just as she did. I am one proud Mom to say the least.
