1 Mother 2 Another

I blogged a few weeks ago about how Cora
likes to become someone else – say, Thomas the Tank Engine
– and will answer to no other name than that for the entire
day. It’s been cute but I have to tell you, this trend is
starting to wear out its welcome.


Last Friday Cora was “The Jazz Girl”. It’s a long
story about how she got the name, but she used it the whole day. As
in, “The Jazz Girl likes to ride in cars”, or
“Jazz Girl wants a snack”. Yesterday Cora was
Cinderella, and took it even one step further by insisting I was
the fairy godmother and only speaking to me on those terms.
“Cinderella wants the Fairy Godmother to push her on the
swings.” “Cinderella hopes the Fairy Godmother will
pick her up soon.”

An especially annoying part of this whole
thing is Cora’s habit of referencing herself in the third
person – “Cinderella’s hungry” rather than
“I’m hungry”, and so forth. It’s quite
disconcerting, and puts me in mind of a small tyrant or dictator of
some oppressed country – almost a “royal
‘we’” sort of thing. It’s bad enough that
she does it, but I have to do it too. “Would you like some
lunch?” is ignored until it becomes, “Would Cinderella
like some lunch?”


And then it will change in the blink of an eye, and woe be unto the
poor sap who doesn’t magically figure it out. Because the
next time you call her the wrong thing, wrath will rain down upon
your head. “Cinderella, do you want some water?”
“NO! I’m NOT Cinderella! I’m JUST CORA!”
Idiot mommy.


I’m hanging in there, but believe me, someone’s going
to be in for a rude awakening if this happens much longer.


And by “someone”, I mean whoever her highness happens
to be that day.