I took Raphaela  shoe shopping yesterday, in preparation for my brother's wedding in July.  I told her that we would not necessarily be buying anything today, but that I did want her feet measured to see how much she had grown, and if certain pairs of shoes were now too small on her.

Raphaela listened and then looked at me with a very practice face and said, "Mommy, no need to measure my feet. They're big."

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On those occasions that Raphaela goes too far and misbehaves knowingly, I will not necessarily shout, but rather give her The Face, that expression that says that I am not happy with her actions and an apology had better be on the way, asap.

Yesterday Raphaela came up to me, eyes bulging and mouth frowning, a poor impersonation (and recognizable nonetheless) of my Angry Face.  My daughter informed me that she was not actually angry at me, but she was "practicing."  I suggested that we have a staring contest, and of course Raphaela broke first, giggling and smiling until we were both laughing out loud.

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A friend of Raphaela's, a boy in her English lessons who has come over to our house many times to play, has recently started getting aggressive. The other day he scratched her arm, it looked like an animal had attacked her, and Raphaela also reported that he had come over and hit her for no reason in particular.

If this were an old fashioned New England school house, he would be dipping Raphaela's braids in the ink jar.

I have spoken to the teacher about this behavior, and I have asked Raphaela how she handled the situation at the time.  She informed me that first she said, "No, stop!" and when the boy didn't listen, she "hit back " and defended herself.  Then she told the teacher about the incident.

While I most certainly do not condone violence, my Inner Israeli Mother was thrilled that my child has finally learned that she has a right to not get hurt, and that she has a right to fight back.  Raphaela now knows that she does not have to be a wimp, a lesson that will serve her well in the long run living in Israel.