Most kids have things that they become attached to – a blanket, pacifier, doll- you name it. Princess began using a paci later than most babies, close to eight months.
Some would say there’s no point starting so late. But at the time it served as a solution to her constantly putting everything in her mouth. We allowed her to use it throughout the teething phase. During that time it was as if she couldn’t do anything without having her binky. Once she turn 18 months, it suddenly disappeared. I staged the whole thing.
I remember explaining to her that she didn’t need her pacifier. “You’re a big girl now. Binkies are for babies,” I said.
Within a few days she forgot all about it. The other day I happened to be searching through a drawer when I stumbles across her old pacifier. “Do you remember this,” I asked.
“That’s my binky from when I was a baby,” she replied.
She sees photos and videos of her with her binky, but I don’t think she remembers it exactly. But, she’s fully aware of how much she loved it.
Coming across her old pacifier made me think of a book that I was recently introduced to. It’s called,
Kayla the Great. Kayla is a six-year-old girl from Georgia with a family dynamic that’s very similar to ours. She has a white mother, a black father, and two older brothers. Kayla doesn’t do anything without her red dress. She eventually realizes that she’s awesome without it. As long as she believes in herself, she can do anything.
That’s a lesson that I try to teach my kids everyday. “All you have to do is try,” I tell my daughter when she gets discouraged. It’s something that every kid should know. You don’t need to rely on anything or anyone to achieve your goals. When Kayla’s favorite red dress goes missing, she gets discouraged. She searches every where to find it, and eventually finds the strength to move forward.
Every child can relate to Kayla the great. Clinging to an item is normal. But, it’s important to teach kids that they don’t need to use anything as a crutch. When we introduced Princess to the book, the first thing she noticed is that Kayla is also biracial. So, the fact that she can relate to the character peaks her interest. Like every other book we read, we like to ask her questions and talk about the meaning of the book.
It’s a bit longer that most we’ve read. We got trough all 43 pages in two parts, which worked out pretty well. After the first night, I asked her what she thought happened to the “magic red dress.” I also asked if Kayla could accomplish her goals without it. These talking points were instrumental in getting her to think about the story and the overall lesson. It also builds up anticipation to find out how it ends.
With the holiday season in full swing, this book would make a gift for any child. It retails for 14.95. But in honor of teaching our kids about believing in themselves, the author of Kayla the Great – Stephanie Davis – would like to giveaway a copy of the book to a Weather Anchor Mama reader. Two winners will be chosen. See below for details. You can also check out Kayla the Great on Facebook and Twitter.
Photos: Kayla the Great