Who is running this show, anyway?

Drew is 6 and she's very much her own person.  That's good, right?  Right?  I see her becoming the next white NeNe.  You know, from Real Housewives of Atlanta and from Celebrity Apprentice?  She's tell-it-like-it-is, out to serve no one but herself, and has absolute definite ideas and opinions of how things should be. But the thing is, Drew is 6.  She doesn't pull it off with much grace at this point.  At this point it's nothing but her being contrary.  She has been this way since she was 2 so now I see my job is not to change all that, it's to refine it and put boundries on it that are socially acceptable.  Drew can also be very genuinely sweet and helpful and I adore spending time alone with her, she's a fun kid to be around.  Her strong-willed nature is a bit more dominant than her other qualities at this point. 

I've now put her in charge of certain things.  She wants to be a big girl, I'm going to give that to her.  I make her brush her hair every morning (I know, I'm soooo mean) but now she has to brush Lauren's, too.  This has given her great buy-in and she is doing a much better job at her own hair now.  (Drew sounds just like me as she sits Lauren down, "Sit still and stop moving or it'll hurt worse.")  If you see 3 Hawaiian flowers in Drew's hair with a brown headband that's cracked, just remember, I had nothing to do with it.  I've also put her in charge of getting us across the parking lot safely when we're out and heading to or from the car.  Drew pays absolutely no attention in parking lots and it scares me to death.  I have to watch her like I watch Lauren and hold on to both of them.  It's kind of ridiculous.  Now her job is to lead us all across safely.  Pray for us.  I've also given up picking out any clothes for her in the morning.  It's a battle I'm not willing to fight at all and as long as she doesn't look like a hoochy I don't care.  The only rules are it has to be clean and it has to be appropriate.  Keep this in mind if you ever see her, please.

I don't want to have a relationship with her where my main focus is making sure that SHE knows the I run the universe and not her.  Somedays it seems that's where it's headed.  I figure I'll save that for the teens.  Right now I am treading lightly in this new territory.  I've let her know though, although I may be treading lightly, I am wearing my steel-toed boots.  Bring it, my love.  I'm ready.