I was recently chatting with one of my female cousins about the phenomenon of the Alpha Female, and how it is often easy to identify little AF’s in training from a very young age.  I happen to be raising one such lady, as you may have guessed from my past writings.  Though highly amusing at times, these girls are not without their challenges.

As my cousin and I discussed techniques about how to reign in a mini AF’s assertive nature without totally breaking her natural confidence and spirit, the conversation turned to how this breed of future women have a real knack for retribution at a very young age.  These girls not only know how to apply logic to their arguments, but they really enjoy a highly developed sense of exactly what punishment will fit what crime.

As I shared examples of my own daughter’s spin on “an eye for an eye” with my cousin, I was told of another young diva who was unimpressed with her mother’s attempts to pull rank.  This particular little girl, not yet 5 at the time, had been playing with her sticker book prior to leaving for school one morning.  After her daughter repeatedly refused to stop playing and go brush her teeth, the mother grew a spine and took the sticker book away.  Miffed, the daughter stomped into the bathroom, backpack in tow.

With the teeth brushed, hair combed and outerwear donned, the girl was smugly dropped off by her mother at preschool.  A battle had been won against a formidable opponent, after all.  When the mother returned to preschool that afternoon to retrieve her little darling, there was a note on the backpack asking her to please check into the office before she left for the afternoon.  Knowing this generally to be a bad sign, the mother reluctantly packed up her daughter and proceeded to the office.    She asked her daughter if she had any idea what the meeting might be about.  Her daughter claimed to be unaware of any problems.  Perhaps there was a missing form, the mom thought hopefully.  Unfortunately, that was not to be the case.

Instead, the mother was treated to the tale of entire preschool class, joyfully adorned with feminine napkins from head to toe.  They were worn on heads as crowns and on elbows and knees for protection from bumps and bruises.  Some were affixed to the bottom of shoes because they were so “slidey” and some were used to make beds for dolls.  Some had been decorated and some left plain.

After the teacher gently explained to the little girl how that was not really an appropriate thing to bring to school the little girl declared that she had been left no choice.  The nonplussed mother was eventually able to ask her daughter what she meant.  The girl looked her mother in the eye and replied, “You took my stickers so I took yours.”

Touché.

Photo Credit © Shae Cardenas | Dreamstime.com

Tags: alpha, arguments, behavior, girls, preschool