Dressed Up, Ready to Play and Testing Us

This post is not officially approved by Jordan... But I feel the need to share a parenting perspective from the view of a parent of an incredibly strong and confident kid... With or without a limb difference.Anyone who has spent time with me lately will know that Jordan has been testing our patience lately. As I've documented for years, she's a strong personality and we've encouraged her to be confident. Lately, she's been going through a mini-rebellion. She's questioning all authority, especially at home. It's led to a lot of quiet time in her bedroom lately.We talk a lot about taking a moment to think before we speak and react. I know we all have to work on that skill... No matter our age. So right now, our life with Jordan comes in waves of high positive energy and sometimes waves of deep emotional strain after she may have jumped to a conclusion or used her strong personality in a way that just wasn't appropriate. I love this kid and I'm exhausted.In the meantime, this is peak activity season for Jordan. Her softball team is playing at least two games a week and her dance class is wrapping up for the year. That means she got to dress up ahead of the dress rehearsal and performance for her picture day. I'll be honest. These days kind of stress me out. I'm not the greatest at doing hair. I didn't practice on my friends' hair when I grew up. I don't really do much fancy stuff with my hair. So putting everything into a bun and adding makeup is a bit intimidating for me. But as usual, Jordan made my attempts to dress her up look very fancy.This is seriously my favorite week because just two days after dance picture day is softball picture day. I love both sides of Miss Jordan, her dancing/girly side and her softball/sporty side. Along with her hard headed personality, she's open to so many awesome experiences. As much as I might want to beat my head into the side of a wall from time to time, I adore this kid. I will take full blame for encouraging her to be strong and confident. I should also take blame for her defiance and strength even though it makes parenting SO much more challenging.