Problem Solving with Dr. Google

I have mentioned a time or two that Alexis is really very certain that she requires a sibling or two ... or ten. She talks about it constantly, even going so far as to decide which gender should come first and what that baby will be named. Oh, and he or she (it changes) will get to have her old bedroom, but she's not sharing her Build-a-Bears.

She has it all figured out.

Unfortunately, the universe hasn't exactly cooperated with her plans. But. BUT! Alexis is truly one of the best problem solvers I've ever encountered. If you tell her something won't work, she WILL find a solution that overcomes the challenge. Seriously. I think she could be the person that negotiates world peace. Build a brick wall and the kid really will figure out a way to blast through it. She won't even need explosives.

Recently, Alexis decided to apply her problem solving skills to the whole "I want a sibling" thing.

She started out by saying she needed some new books. Some new books about where babies come from. Considering that the book she already has does a rather excellent job of being specific, I would have thought it was enough. BUT NOOOO. "Mom, I need to read more so I can make this all work," she told me.

So, that's fun.

When I told her "maybe" as an answer to the books, she knew that my "maybe" was really more of a "yeaaaaaa...NO." She can tell the difference between a real maybe and a "shut up and stop asking" maybe. It's a skill that she has. So she took that NOT A CHANCE maybe and decided to solve that problem, too.

By asking Dr. Google.

Hey. So. That thing where she is only allowed to use the computer in the kitchen and with supervision? THAT IS SUCH A GOOD RULE.

And that's all I have to say about that.

So Long, Ducky. Please Come Back Soon.

"But mooooooom, the duck is leaving today!" Alexis said. REPEATEDLY.

She wanted to make a return trip to see the 40-foot inflatable duck downtown. We didn't really have time to do it, but then she added in that she wanted to go take photos of it herself.

I dropped everything faster than anything you've ever seen. I made the Scooby Doo ska-daddle noise as I ran out the door with the kid in tow. My kid? Asking to take photos? I AM SO THERE.

And that is how it came to be that Alexis and I wandered around Point Park for an hour this past Sunday. I followed her as she found things she wanted to photograph with her cheap (but very loved) camera.

And she photographed whatever caught her eye.

Isn't it crazy how big of a difference perspective makes?

Mostly she wanted to photograph the duck. Which, AWESOME.

I swear the duck looks bigger from where Alexis stands.

And when she stands next to it.

The thing Alexis will remember, I think, is that we managed to spend time around a very giant yellow duck just before it left town. The thing I will remember is that the 7-year old still likes to hold my hand in public and is really very confident behind and in front of the camera.

Which ... AWESOME.

What Do You Think?

There is A Boy. In fact, there has been A Boy for a while. He's A Boy Alexis' age who very obviously likes her. The bad news for those of us who keep trying to convince her that she's still a toddler is that she likes him, too. Or at least she did ...

He lives in our neighborhood. If that's not wildly inconvenient for those of us who keep trying to convince her that she's still a toddler, I don't know what is.

He's just A Boy.

But he made a BIG mistake.

That boy seems to have made a decision that landed him in our yard when we weren't home. Another decision led him to stand on our front porch and, well, he destroyed the monster on our door.

That monster.

He ripped it off of the door in such a way that he took some of the door's paint with the various monster teeth and such. Then he went on to tear apart a few other Halloween decorations in our yard. He went straight-out destructive.

And there was a witness.

A neighbor watched the episode unfold, at first not sure what he was seeing. But when it became clear, he intervened.

The Boy ran away. Of course.

I was livid when I found out what had happened. I think that's a fairly reasonable response.

Alexis was more livid.

She, upon hearing and seeing what had happened, went into a rage. She wanted to yell at The Boy and give him all sorts of grief because how dare he mess up her decorations! She really did put a lot of effort into helping set everything up. She's crazy proud of herself, as she should be.

Her reaction gave me pause. My very first thought as to what to do about it all was to march down to his house and tell his parents. But, like I said, her reaction gave me pause. She says she doesn't want to be friends anymore and he can "stay far, far away because I only like nice people who respect my things."

I don't disagree with her thinking. That is why I suggested that she write him a letter and tell him how she felt.

So she did. Here's what she wrote:

Dear Jerk Who Ruined My Stuff (it's possible I'm changing his name because I am almost a nice person),

I worked so hard on my Halloween decorations. A neighbor saw you ruin them. You made me so ANGRY! (And sad)

Sincerely,

Alexis

My plan for the letter was to stick it in his mailbox after he has left for school tomorrow. In other words, I'm conveniently making sure his parents see it, while also letting Alexis tell him what she thinks.

So. Your thoughts? Too much? Appropriate way to deal with it? Lay it on me, internet.