A new milestone. Unfortunately.

The first eye roll. Oh my God, the first eyeroll. 

8 years and 6 weeks. I’m marking it in the baby book—which would be the first entry since 2006 back when I noted the nine foods she ate (only slightly fewer than she eats now) and  listed her new words month by month, actually adding them up and penciling  in the number.

New moms oddly have time for such things.

I was not expecting this particular milestone quite so soon though. It was over the course of a debate with her sister on which game to play and which was a baby game and why  an 8 year old couldn’t possibly play that game and…yeah.  I told her they need to come up with a compromise and voila: Eyeroll.

Of course she denied it was an eyeroll. Or that she stomped her foot. Just the tiniest bit, as she walked away to set up a chess board by herself instead. And I told her good, it had better not be one, because that would be acting awfully like a teenager. And we’ll have none of them around here. Not at least for another 30 years or so. It’s hard enough to accept that she would rather memorize Taylor Swift lyrics than The Wheels on the Bus, and a mother can only handle so much at one time.

Isn’t she still a baby? A teeny little thing who eats sand and waves at fire hydrants and falls asleep on my chest?

No?

Wow.

not a baby

{31 Comments}

31 thoughts on “A new milestone. Unfortunately.”

  1. Amelia had the hair flip, spin and stomp away down at three. Maybe this means they’ll get it out of their systems early? *hopeful gaze*

  2. Oh my goodness. My child must be specially gifted in disdain. I would swear he’s been rolling his eyes at me since age 4.

  3. You guys are lucky. My boy started rolling his eyes at me when he was 2. Am I really as ridiculous as he thinks I am? .. Okay, probably.

  4. Oh lordy. My toddler already imitates my laugh and makes me sound like a hyena. I can only imagine what I’m in for in 7 years….

    1. She’d be happy to hear that, thanks Korinthia! She was very proud of putting together the outfit by herself.

  5. I got the eyeroll today from my 6 yr old. Sadly it wasn’t the first time. I’m guessing she was 3 or 4. When I told her that I didn’t believe chores were optional…I got the eyeroll. That started a whole new conversation about respectful behaviour…and eyerolling is NOT on the list.

    It’s one of the many reasons I will never say parenting gets easier as they get older…it’s just different.

  6. Smiling. Chuckling a wee bit. Recalling that feeling of “Wha? Did that? I mean … huh?”

    My daughter is 10. Thank you for reminding that the eyeroll used to be a rare and somewhat amusing occurrence in our house. (Note to self: Find out if it’s possible to reclaim the funny in this. Try hard. It may be your only shot at survival.)

  7. Well, you’ve been initiated into the club of parents whose children have figured out that mom and dad are no longer the sun, the moon and the stars.
    I m sure you will survive all the petty indignities of parenthood with style.
    What’s nuttiest for me is when my kids and their friends exercise the eye roll thing with each other when they think I am not looking. Now that’s maddening!!!

  8. the eyeroll + ‘MOM, do not like my photo on instagram’ is the latest here.

    Apparently, I am so not cool – I am not even worthy of an additional like on instagram and in a day and age when the most likes mean everything – that says something!

  9. Yeah, the eye rolls have been standard around here since AT least that age. And I have a boy! 😉 But this week he helped me with dinner so it all evens out.

  10. Oh wow. It sounds like my house, but the eye roll was just a start. Now we have full on tantrums like a 2 year old. Okay, well not THAT bad but close.

  11. In some British novel I read years ago that sort of behavior was called “dumb insolence” by the British Navy and you could be court martialed for it. Just a suggestion. And by the way, they still occasionally do it at 40.

  12. and soon, very soon will come the time where you are quite possibly the stupidest person on the planet. It can last for a length of time. Hang in there though. Three of mine have thankfully grown out of it and now regard me as one of the smartest people they know…they even tell OTHER PEOPLE this! Unfortunately while they believe that I am wise, my 4th currently is certain that I am an idiot right now and my 5th, well he is starting the eye rolls.
    Hang in there.

  13. Around here we get multiple eye rolls a day – a 13 year old boy and a 10-year old girl who I swear are at the same place maturity-wise and their 8 year old brother who can’t be left out of the fun.

    We like to ask “Is there something on the ceiling?”

  14. Oh yes, the eye roll. Dearest daughter is 5-1/2 now and I think it started about two or three months ago at our place, along with the foot stomp and the hair flip. I’m pretty sure I did not start that stuff until I was at least 14! (insert eye roll here!)

  15. I don’t know how, but somehow we made it to 12 years before I noticed the first ‘eye roll’…but now they have been happening thick and fast from Miss 13 ever since…like she’s making up for lost time!
    Glad to have found your blog Mom 101. Thanks

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