Art therapy

Ever heard of the phrase 'If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy'? Well, in our family that phrase can be more aptly applied to our sweet Eva. If she ain't havin' it, ain't nobody havin' it.

So much has changed in the last few months, I can see where she's coming from. Ferris and I are finding ourselves, for the first time, really flexing our parenting skills and falling flat on our faces. We're all doing pretty well, some days being much better than others, because we've found some tricks that seem to work.

The single most important thing is for Eva to know she has some control of her world. With the addition of her little bro, there isn't much that hasn't changed. And while we have a no tolerance policy for bad behavior, I think it's very important to give her opportunities to flex her muscles. So we let her pick out her clothes every morning. She also chooses Miles' clothes and helps get him ready. And we found Art School.

It's been so helpful for Eva to have places and people that are only 'hers'. Auntie Lindsay, Ferris' little sis, came to visit last week, and I put her right to work helping Eva carve out her space. People, we're keeping our heads above water...barely, but we're totally doing it.