5 Going on 18!

TYPICAL YOUNG LADY!
Okay, I have a problem that I could use your help with. I have a daughter! Yep, that's the issue I have. I fathered a female, that's the big problem. Now, don't get me wrong or anything, I love having a daughter. She's the love of my life, along with her brother and mother, and I guess our dog. However, she absolutely has me wrapped around at least one, if not all, of her fingers. She is the epitome of a spoiled Daddy's girl. Of course, this is where the "real" problem arises. She has developed a bit of what most people would call an "ATTITUDE." 

Couldn't she just be a model?

  YEAH, I'M IN BIG TROUBLE!
So, here's where the attitude becomes a problem. She likes, and thinks it's okay, to tell me no. I'm not talking about if I ask if she wants onion rings instead of fries. I'm talking about the times when I tell her that it's time to go upstairs and brush her teeth for bed. That's right, she will tell me no to that. That is after she has ignored my first, and probably second, request to do said task. Then when I get upset and tell her in no uncertain terms that she HAS to get up from what she's doing and go upstairs to brush her teeth, she will use that teenage sarcastic tone, "I'm going!!!" Yep, attitude. 
So, I have a couple of choices at this point. I can yell and holler and threaten bodily harm. Of course, she knows that with all my health issues, she could probably kick MY ass at this point. And, I don't really want to have to hold the threat of violence over my kids. 
Or, I can go the route of taking things from her if she doesn't stop with the attitude. That's usually the way I go. Ever since she was about two years old she has had this stuffed dog that she named "Bean" for some reason.(Yes, my great-aunt told her at my grandfather's funeral service that it's a stupid name for a dog, hurting her feelings and pissing me right off, but it's the name she chose!) Well, I've resorted to taking Bean from her on occasion and that just devastates her now. But, what am I going to do in a few years? What am I going to do when a stuffed dog is NOT one of the most important items in the world to her? What am I going to take from her in the future, and what am I going to do when she realizes that a day or two without some item isn't that big of a deal? What am I going to do then???
I'm actually asking you!

THE TEENAGE YEARS!
So, I was a pretty easy to handle teenager(you know I'm right Mom.) I basically didn't get into trouble, and I always respected my parents. It was all about sports for me. I went to school so I could play sports. Is there anyway I could get that lucky as a parent? I doubt it because she's a girl. And, if she's anything like her mom, I'm in huge trouble. Yes, my wife was(is) boy crazy. I'm just worried that this attitude that Sydney has going on now, is going to carry over to the teenage years when she herself is boy crazy. I'm going to have a huge problem then because even though I was a good kid, I know what boys that age are like! So, am I just crazy(probably) thinking like this? Is it stupid to worry that attitude at age five is going to carry over to her teens? I know that I'm a worrier, but I'm stressing that I'm not doing a very good job now and it's going to lead to problems when she's older. 

PLEASE HELP!!!

HEALTH UPDATE!
It's not any better than it was at the time of my last post. In fact, it's gotten worse. I can't walk much at this point, and had to miss the wedding of one of my oldest/best friend. It really bothered me to miss his wedding due to my health and I'm getting really sick of having to worry about my health!
I hope all is well with you, and that you have some great ideas for how much I should worry about my little girl's attitude.  
  

FLYING KARATE KICKS!!!

LIKE BRUCE LEE WITH SOUND EFFECTS!
Okay, I'm sure most of you who have more than one kid will know, at least somewhat, about what I'm about to tell you. Every morning during the school week we have to get up to get Sydney off to school, and that alarm clock always seems to come way too early.  Of course, my 3 year old son Denny, always seems to beat the alarm by at least a half hour, causing his mother and I to yell and holler at him before we are even out of bed. But, the alarm does come and signal the start of yet another day. 
How that day goes is usually decided in the next thirty minutes after that dreaded alarm goes off. I say that because Sydney is NOT a morning person and my wife usually has to dress her for school while she's still in bed because apparently her body just won't work before 8am. Why the first half hour decides the day though is usually decided by Denny. If he is in his havoc wreaking mood(usually) it could lead to lots of stress for this Stay at home Dad. For example this morning: After we managed to get downstairs and get food into both their bellies, the kids were in the living room. Sydney was at her morning zombie best, and Denny was at his trouble making best. I was trying to read the paper online when I hear, "Don't hit me Denny!!!" I then hear Sydney land the first blow, a smack to his back. At this point, I know what's coming next is not going to be good. As I turn and look at the morning activities, I see my son perform a flying karate kick and yell "HIIYAAA" at the top of his lungs. Of course, it was just the first in a series of flying kicks that he executed, landing only one or two on his sisters leg. 

JUST TOO FUNNY!
It's really hard to dole out discipline when the scene you witness is just too funny at first glance. Forget about the fact that he was trying to cause bodily harm to his sister, the way he was spinning while kicking and yelling out his battle cry was just too much for me. I had to stifle a laugh while maintaining the role of disciplinarian and yell out that in no uncertain terms do we not hand out flying karate kicks at our sister. I managed to contain my laugh and get the situation under control before any ER visits were needed, but the scene will stick with me for a long time. It was that funny.  My wife was upstairs getting ready for her work day during the morning fisticuffs and when she came downstairs to receive her morning situational report, she said she could hear my laugh/yell all the way upstairs. It really is hard to be a tough guy when the kid is as funny as Denny has been lately.


TIP OF THE ICEBERG!
The scene I just described to you is really just another example of how my little boy has been lately. He has really gotten into the superhero type of stuff, and I think that's great. Especially since it hasn't been uncommon to see him putting on a dress and carrying a purse with his big sister and the little girl I watch after school. So, him thinking he's Spiderman is actually a good thing in my eyes. The only problem is, and you have to picture this in your mind, he REALLY thinks he's Spiderman at times, and will run headlong into a wall and attempt to stick to and climb said wall! Yeah, it's like that!

HEALTH UPDATE!
Just to give all of my loyal concerned readers an update, I have been somewhat diagnosed with two more ailments that are not fun. In addition to the Fibromyalgia and Auto-immune Arthritis that I have, I spent this past Tuesday in the ER and was told I have a severe Gastrointestinal issue that I have to take yet another two pills each day for. On top of all that, I received a call from my Rheumatologist who said my most recent blood work showed that I have high blood sugar. Now, I have to change my entire diet/lifestyle in order to keep that in check. So, health wise, this hasn't been the greatest twelve months of my life, but it could be a lot worse. I'm going to make it, and I'm going to get to the goals I set for myself A LONG TIME AGO!
Hope you have a great weekend, and did anyone notice that my Detroit Lions are actually good and that my Detroit Tigers won their division??? What a time to be a fan of Detroit professional sports!