Seeing Myself

I had one of those parental moments this week where I saw my child behaving badly, wondered where she got it from, then turned around and did the same thing (sort of), and went Ohhhhhh I get it now.  It was humbling for sure.  Let me explain.

My little Leah is usually very easy going, friendly, and quiet by nature.  But when she thinks of an idea or game or scenario she wants to act out, her plan must go exactly as she sees it in her little head or else a major crying meltdown occurs.  These are few and far between thankfully, but this past Monday we got to experience one big time.  Mike pulled up in the driveway after work and Leah decided she wanted to hide and surprise him.  Well, she scurried around and was looking for a place to hide when Mike walked in and "found" her too early.  She instantly said, "Noooooo, Daddy!!!!!!" and started to scream and cry and absolutely throw a fit. The way she had envisioned that scenario going down was not how it actually happened, and she just lost it.  I thought, "Where does she get this from?  Surely not me!"

Now, fast forward a few hours to me entering the tutoring academy where I work two nights a week.  I casually glanced at my schedule for the evening and saw that a math student had been added to my list.  My eyes must have bugged out because my boss came and asked me if I was okay with the new student.  You see, I signed up to only tutor for English.  Grammar, reading, spelling, writing, etc.  Not math.  I was the kid who passed my math classes only because I had a dad who is a math genius and could help me every night.  I would rather have a few cavities filled than look at an equation!  

So presented with this little "hiccup" in my plan, did I smile and say, "Sure, I'll give it my best try."?  Nope.  I whined and tried to give ten different reasons for why I'm not the best qualified to tutor a child in math.  I didn't throw myself down and scream and cry (thankfully!), but I did throw a rather mild "adult fit."  My boss did a great job of calming me down, and in the end it really wasn't that bad. It's just embarrassing to admit, but I guess I have a hard time adjusting when something pops up on my radar unexpectedly.  

Just like my Leah Bee.

 Now I know who she gets it from.   Can we skip the teenage years please?