When she gets in trouble for handling Amanda too roughly, Eva turns to mothering her longsuffering dolls instead. They can handle a lot more abuse. One of the most unsettling parts of parenthood is seeing your own character, for better or worse, reflected in your children's behavior. Lately Eva's been "acting out" familiar scenarios that she's seen and heard at home. Sometimes it's cute, and sometimes embarrassing, but it's always revealing. Like yesterday, when I barked at Eva to sit down for the third time. An hour later I heard her chiding her dolly in the same harsh tone she had heard from me. I hate to see my impatience mirrored by her. Later Eva heard Amanda crying and came to comfort her, cooing "It's OK, 'manda" and patting her back like mommy. That was gratifying. It's amazing to see how much they actually hear and understand, even when we don't realize it.
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