Third Day

Today is our third day of the new adventure, Parenting A Grandchild.
Thankfully, we have had no blow ups or major issues.

We are learning more about one another's likes and dislikes. I absolutely despise being patted on the head. (Stems from a condescending Doctor who had to reach UP to pat me on the head when I was a teen.) This is a deep loathing I have had.
Nickole has been patting me on the head. I finally, politely asked her to NOT do that.
She explained how she LOVES to be patted on the head. It is a gesture of affection for her.
I realized I am not a particularly demonstrative person, with a child who NEEDS to be hugged, touched, and patted. Knowing this, I am making an effort to give and receive hugs (and head pats... without shuddering).

We are finding our way through meals. I am making small accommodations to her dislikes, and she is making efforts to eat what I make. I find we have both given one another The Look of "Really?".

We have had a couple of - I hesitate to say "compromises"- more of picking my battles. She is into zombies. I . am. NOT.
Yesterday, we went to the library. Nickole got signed up for the Summer Reading Program, and now also has her very own library card. I was telling Mr. C, "Now, if Nickole damages one of their books, they take HER to jail instead of me!"
Oh my, the look she had!
"You signed the paperwork, didn't you?"
"Yes, but I didn't know it said THAT!"
"Did you read it before you signed it?"
"No..... ...."
"Oh, man. You should ALWAYS read things before you sign them. You better be REALLY careful to take care of the library's books."
"I WILL!"
(Her library book was something containing Teenage Zombies.  Ugh. Chose not to make it an issue.) Also learned our library has the entire Rush Revere collection. I got Rush Revere and The Brave Pilgrims.  I read the Forward aloud, then had Nickole read the Prologue. She used her most bored, unexcited monotone... until she discovered she LIKED this book. Then some character crept into her voice.  We put it away after the Prologue, and picked up at Chapter One in the evening. I read, and she snuggled close by, begging me to "keep reading" every time I had to stop for a sip of water.

The reading aloud last night came about after some discussion about a movie.
Nickole has a child sized recliner she brought with her. It was filthy and stank. We got some upholstery cleaner yesterday, and she worked on cleaning it up. In her cleaning, she found a movie disk, "Coraline", down in the depths of recliner guts. She asked Mr C and Sam to watch a movie with her when they got home. Tom had to fix the car first, and it took awhile. After he ate, she got the movie. Tom asked if it was going to go over past bedtime, as he was pretty tired. I looked up the movie online, to find the running time.
In looking it up, we found that it was PG-13. HORROR genre. Sex, violence, language, and adult situations.
Uh.. 
.... NO.
We are NOT going to watch this movie.
"But I have already seen it. It's one of my FAVORITES. It only gave me nightmares at FIRST, but now it doesn't!"

We aren't watching it. I am at a loss as to why any adult would think it "OK" to allow a kid who wasn't even 10 years old ("It was lost a few years ago, who knew it was in my recliner all that time?") to see it in the first place? It only gave her nightmares "at first".

I really don't know WHAT to do with the disk. My thought is to throw it in the trash. But it isn't MINE. I put it up where it is unlikely to be encountered as I figure that one out.
*************

It looks like our household is going to need to undergo a dietary makeover.  While I am not yet certain, I strongly suspect Nickole is sensitive to food dyes. I MAY be sensitive to CORN... and hoo boy, not only is corn in most everything, I often use corn products to fill in for myself when others have gluten. Tom wants to lose weight, Sam wants to eat less sugar. So, I need to work around no gluten, dyes,  corn, weight conscious, using lower sugar, lower sodium foods . I'm thinking this may be a bit gradual overall- not replacing items as we run out. (Thought I was out of wheat flour, but Sam had stashed a bag!) I just ran out of corn starch. I have a package each of flour and of corn tortillas to use up by those who may. We have a supply of tortilla chips, and frozen corn to get through. I can just avoid those myself as we use them up. I checked a few of the snacks, and so far none have artificial dyes.

Today's breakfast is Grancakes. Nickole loves my pancakes, but in summers past, I have had to make them before she gets up, as she doesn't like oatmeal in ANY form, nor bananas. My pancakes are ground oats, obliterated bananas, and eggs. (vanilla, salt and baking powder). Don't ask, don't tell! Or, if asked, deflect without lying.