The Ruhi update

I think we've reached a milestone with Ruhi at 8 years. I find myself completely at my wit's end most of the times and apprehensive about what may come next.

As of now, Ruhi knows everything. Sometimes more than everybody else . She says "I KNOW IT" after everything. Example :

Ruhi : Mama what does 'Do not drink and drive' mean ?

Me : Means one should not drink alcohol and drive.

Ruhi : I know it.

pause.

Ruhi : Mama what is alcohol ?

Me : Its a very bitter drink that makes people sleepy so they may have an accident if they drive

Ruhi : I know it

And so on and so forth.

I hope this too will pass ?

She is more concerned than ever, about right and wrong. Like she walked up to a man she had seen pissing on a colony wall and told him softly " pissing not allowed here" (in hindi). He was apparently some driver, he sniggered and told her to buzz off. Knowing her she must have muttered all the guts in her to do this. She didnt give up and waited for the chowkidar on the colony rounds to come by and complained about the incident. She felt very worthy when the chowkidar promised to fix the guy.

She has had her first sleep over at her best friend Rhea's house.

She has close friends who she likes and dislikes at the same time. Being a soft spoken gentle girl, she is at the receiving end of some highly manipulative behavior from other children her age. She is learning to deal with it albeit slowly. Her teacher said she needs lessons in how to be mean !

She shows a strong desire to do well in school. She is suddenly very competitive and wants to do better than most of her peers but accepts that a few friends are "way smarter" than her in class.

She wants to dress up fashionably when going to meet her friends. In dresses and skirts !!

She is constantly testing her limits with me and I have finally begun to google for " behavior problems in 8 year olds" !