Proper Care and Feeding of Your Wild Animal

Topping the scales at a whopping 31 pounds and standing at a towering 41 inches, Ella is a five-year-old mini powerhouse. Wearing her size 4T skorts, cinched at the waist so they’ll stay up,  she looks sweet and innocent–and certainly she is!–but dare cross her or *gasp!* call her “little?” You had better watch your back.

Playdates and trips to the park are often interrupted by Ella screaming at another child, “I! Am NOT! LITTLE!” Hands on hips, her eyebrows set at an angry angle, and her lips stuck out and pursed, you could almost believe her insistence that she is in fact big and not little. There is a lot of personality and passion stuffed inside that tiny girl.

Carson and Ella, being 18 months apart, are usually the best of friends. They have many of the same interests and depend on each other when they are unsure in new situations. But they are siblings, after all, so they have their fair share of squabbles. Like any kids, they argue about the unfairness of life and sharing toys and like flipping a switch, they quickly forgive and forget.

That is, unless you call Ella little, which is exactly what Carson did one day with the orneriest, most mocking face and tone of voice you can imagine out of a brother. Big mistake. HUGE.

It started out like any argument. Someone took a toy the other wanted to play with. Some “mines” and “not fairs” were thrown around for good measure, but when that wasn’t working, Carson decided to kick it up a notch with some good ol’ fashioned sister ribbing.

“Yeah?” he said, “Well I guess I’ll let you have this toy, but it’s only because you are LITTLE.”

In an instant, Ella pounced like a tiger on Carson’s back and began pulling hair, scratching, and punching, her eyes wild with anger.

“I’M NOT LITTLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” she wailed.

It was equally horrifying and hilarious. Horrifying that my sweet little girl attacked her brother like a wild animal, but hilarious that she, well, attacked her brother like a wild animal. Simultaneously stifling a laugh and a gasp of horror, Tate pried Ella off Carson’s back, one claw finger at a time. Carson was basically unharmed, though possibly psychologically scarred. His eyes were as round as saucers, shocked that she actually attacked.

After a time-out, for Ella’s punishment and Tate and I to compose ourselves, we had a discussion with her about not attacking people, hitting is wrong, scratching is wrong, hair pulling is wrong, you know, the standard parental lecture. We carefully broached the subject of her size, being careful not to confirm that she is little, but that she’s just the size she’s meant to be.

“Don’t listen when other people tell you that you’re little, Ella! You’re perfect just the way God made you.” She nodded in agreement, but I could see that she wasn’t really buying into any hint that she could be little.

So just a heads up, if you ever meet Ella, nix the word “little” from your vocabulary.

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Check out Hallmark’s new Bug ‘Em line, perfect for siblings who “bug” each other! (Get it?!) Actually, this series of cards, books, and creatures is the perfect way to celebrate the little things that make being a kid a special occasion. Check them out here!

Thanks so much to Hallmark for inviting me to be a part of their Life is a Special Occasion campaign this year. While I am compensated for my work, I love getting to share these special occasions. Because life truly is a special occasion, each and every moment.

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