Oh Lord, Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

It's the last day of the holidays before the kids go back to school tomorrow, and today I have been listening to Emma bemoan the fact the no one (especially me) understands her. This is mainly the result of my telling her she needs to clean up her dump of a bedroom and get rid of some stuff. Emma, who has always had a flair for the dramatic, has taken the opportunity to thoroughly expound upon how unfair her life is. Some of the highlights of our discussion included the following Emma quotes:

• "You just don't understand me!! No one understands me!! I just wish you could go inside my head and read everything that is written there!! [to herself] That would actually be a really LONG read."
• "Mom, will you just let me drive my own life!!!??"
• "Mom, you really need a lesson on playing, and you're about to get one!!" (in response to my asking for about the third time, 'What on earth do you even do with THIS (random piece of junk)?')

I cannot believe I escaped the conversation without a "Why do you people always have to try to RULE me??!!" which is another favourite persecuted Emma quote, but she left that one out today.

Sophie is neither bothered about being understood nor is she attached to bits of rubbish like Emma. She spent the morning frolicking about the house and garden keeping herself thoroughly entertained. At one point, she came into my room, flopped on the bed and heaved a great sigh and said, "Oh, Emma! Mom DOES understand you!"