unlocking another parenting secret

Remember how E hated T Ball? Well know apparently now she loves it. I attribute this 100% to my outstanding parenting ability. The secret was to sign her up for something else she likes even less. Enter piano. Mission accomplished. T Ball is her new favorite.

This week, thanks to the protests snarling traffic, both T ball practice and piano were cancelled. When she found out, her response was an immediate joy at piano being cancelled and huge (unexpected) deflation at T ball. Before you think I am a monster for signing my five year old up for piano when she clearly detests it, she asked for it. She'd been begging me for months to take piano, so I gave her lessons as a Christmas present and now she hates Christmas...not yet but it's nearly to that point.

Daily piano practice has turned into a scheduled daily ten minute fight. Sure, I could give up and try again in a few years when she's not five but that would be admitting defeat. Besides, I'm sure this builds character--it's miserable enough. I'm going to have loads of character well before she can find middle C. In the meantime she has removed the 'piano' magnet from her magnetic job chart and hidden it.

Now that her favorite part of T ball is not where the teams shake hands at the end, and Rocky was actually in town for one of her games, I thought I would bring my camera to take some pictures. These games are priceless.

This is either her 'game face' or her  'I've got Smart eyes that can't open outside even if the sun is behind a hurricane'.

 Winston's a bit old fashioned, he still dresses up for baseball games.

 Violet drinks at least two gallons of water during the game.

 She uses well over 30 cups.

 Can't imagine how she missed that ball.

When there are no outs, it best just to skip to first base.

All I have to do to get her to like piano is make her do something she likes even less. Like maybe her chores.