Annoyed that I'm Annyoyed

Okay- here is a confession. At the moment I find myself frequently annoyed with my four year old. I am quite frankly annoyed that I am annoyed. I mean she's my child-you don't picture finding your own children annoying. I love her,but am finding myself gritting my teeth quite often, of late.

This four almost five year old stage is just not always my cup of tea. Oh, I find some of the things she says hilarious and I so appreciate how capable she has become. She is helpful and can do almost everything herself. However, she also thinks she is sooo cool. She is getting a little too big for her britches! She's kind of a know it all, questions me all the time, acts as if Phin and Chloe are her children instead of her siblings, etc., etc., etc.

I feel like I am constantly having to remind her of her place, correct her for disrespecting me, and disciplining her for disobedience for which she ALWAYS offers a "good" reason. It's exhaustin! It also feels a bit schizophrenic because she intermingles this ridiculousness with episodes of being absolutely charming. My mind is spinning; apparently she hasn't gotten the memo about my sleep deprived state. Or perhaps she has and is enjoying watching me squirm!

Ah, the joys of motherhood. It's not all a bed of roses, is it? Perhaps I need to roll her into the encouragement challenge. Of course with her current state, I can't leave out the negative (my role is to train her) but perhaps I should take extra pains to make sure I'm offering extra encouragement too and maybe I'd find my annoyance lessening. (I sure hope so, otherwise I'll most likely consume more chocolate and at some point this baby weight really does need to come off!)