I’m convinced stubbornness is an inherited trait. It’s in the DNA. I inherited the stubborn gene from my father and passed it down to my daughter. Many of the humorous scenes in my books are based on real life events. An excerpt of one such incident is included below:
The school principal was standing stiffly in front of Sheree with her arms crossed and a stern expression. Sheree was engaged in a staring contest with the principal and sported a defiant look on her face…I tentatively approached the volatile situation. At this point, I wasn’t sure who would explode first, the glowering principal or the pint-sized imp. They both looked like they were ready to blow.
“Sheree, sweetie, what’s going on?” She didn’t answer, just continued to glare at the principal. “We’re supposed to go on our mother-daughter date today. But we can’t go to the movies and out to dinner unless you clean up and apologize.”
Sheree jerked out of her trance and gazed at me with firm resolve. “I’d rather go home and go to my room,” she harrumphed.
…I apologized profusely to the teacher and principal and scurried after my strong-willed, stubborn scamp…
I sent Sheree to her room for time-out as soon as we returned home. I could joust with lawyers, but I couldn’t sweet-talk a toddler. The skills and techniques I utilized at the office had little effect at home. I opened the door a crack and peered into Sheree’s bedroom. She didn’t appear the slightest bit upset.
“Do you want to tell me about what happened this afternoon? Why didn’t you clean up like the other children?”
“I didn’t want to,” she stated matter-of-factly. “I don’t like my teacher. She’s bossy and has big black hairs growing out of her nose.” [Exact quote!]
The apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Paraphrasing the lyrics from Cat’s in the Cradle by Harry Chapin, “my [girl] was just like me.”
