The Davis Group: Cailin Hope @ 3.5

On May 14, 2015 Cailin Hope turned three and a half. Since then, she announced this to just about everyone she has seen. Let us take this opportunity to reflect on who she is.

Cailin may be the most flexible person I have ever met. She rolls with life's ups and downs in a way that is truly admirable. Some examples:

Matt and Matthew broke a glass on the front porch. Cailin ran over and said "Don't worry daddy, we have more in the house."
Cailin repeatedly soaked the floor while filling up water cups to paint. Matt asked her to be more careful going forward. Cailin replied, "How about we just cover the floor with towels?"
As the end of school approached, Charlotte had a few activities centered around her and her classmates (end of the year party, rising kindergartner play date, etc.). Debbi and Matt thought it would be good to give Cailin some quality time with one parent. Cailin chose to get Slurpees at 7/11... and invited Matthew along to join for her special time.

There are two important corollaries to the point above:

Cailin is very difficult to discipline. What can you do to punish a person who immediately adapts to her circumstances? As one of myriad examples, Cailin was banned from consuming cake at a birthday party. Her response, "That's OK, I'll just eat some raisins."
Cailin is going to be an awesome adult. Grown-ups have a tendency to get flustered by the vicissitudes of life. Cailin has lessons for us all.

Potentially related to the point above, Cailin is on our family's "brave team." She paves the way and/or bolsters our courage to try something new. Cailin was the first kid in our family to ride a roller coaster (last year, when she was 2). This year she was the first kid to ride the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Disney World. Cailin rode a pony at the community fair, and had such a good time that Charlotte got in line as well. Charlotte often asks Cailin to go with her when doing something new (e.g., going to class at the nature center, meeting a neighbor's pet). These two embolden each other, and I worry about them being separated when Charlotte goes to Kindergarten.

Cailin is also very passionate. This may seem contradictory to the points above, but there is an important nuance at play here: While Cailin doesn't care about life's events, she still has very strong feelings. Her emotions are too big for her little body. Cailin will spontaneously hug a parent, and say "I really love you." A look in her eyes makes it clear that she has internalized what the word "love" means. On the other hand, she can become disconsolate with limited provocation. Cailin broke down in tears during a car trip because Charlotte (factually) referred to her as a "middle child." Matt took the boys to Target one night, and Cailin started crying because she felt "left out." These are very mature articulations of her feelings -- though the associated tantrums are not entirely mature. As a more comical example, Cailin attacked the ivy on our front porch yelling "I like leaves on trees, NOT on walls!!"

The best outcome of Cailin's deep feeling is her recognition of the power of prayer. She will ask us to pray for her when she feels out of sorts. She suggests praying for others when they are in need. One Saturday morning, Charlotte biked from Soccer class to Martial Arts class and then to brunch. Upon arrival at the restaurant, Charlotte was exhausted and grumpy. Cailin surveyed the situation and asked, "Mommy, can you pray for Charlotte?"

I'm excited to see what is in store for Cailin. She consistently surprises us. On Memorial Day weekend, Debbi declared, "Cailin is going to learn to write her name this summer!" Cailin said, "I already know how to write my name" and sat down at the table to demonstrate. She missed the diagonal on the N, but it will hardly take all Summer to work that out.

Keep being you Cailin Hope, the world needs more like you.