Princess Emma learns to sew

Emma has been asking, and asking and asking, (ok pestering at this point) to learn to sew. I know, I should teach her when she is interested but for some reason I am restraining myself. Quite a bit of my hesitancy is that Emma and I, like many mother daughter pairs, tend to disagree on quite a bit. I just don't want this learning experience to be a big huge fight. I worry she is not old enough, that her dexterity is not quite what it needs to be or that I will not be patient enough. I searched through several websites looking for suggestions on teaching kids to sew. Most of the sites are for teaching older children. Plenty of advice, good advice, I just couldn't seem to commit. I know the draw for her is the sewing machine. With all its pretty knobs, dials and a cool foot petal who wouldn't want to learn. I have tried in the past to teach her to sew by hand, and well that was just not what she was looking for, she wants the machine!

I suck it up and decide on a pattern. I know if I let Emma choose we will be in WAY over our heads. I let her go through several bins of fabric and she settles on some pink (big surprise, I know). As I start to explain many of the things I am doing with her, I realize she has payed a lot of attention while I have been working because she is completely understanding everything I say. She is able to answer my questions and calmly, ask me questions about things she doesn't know. There is no fighting, no arguing and defiantly no "MOM, I know!"

It was most pleasant. As we progressed I could feel myself deflate. The stress I had been holding in my shoulders relaxed. I felt like I could finally take a big breath. I didn't tell Emma what we were making because I thought it would be fun to watch the project emerge. She tried several times to guess but eventually I told her. "A hair scrunchie?" she asked. Yeah, a hair scrunchie! I thought she would be proud to be able to wear the thing she made. I thought it would be really cute. That she would want to tell all her friends about it! "Hey, Look at this! I did this with my really cool Mom!" I am such a fool. She finished the project but, with a lot less enthusiasm than I expected. And I have to give her credit she did put it in her hair, briefly so I could take a picture. When we were done I watched her rip it out and set it on the dresser, where it still sits. When I asked her why she didn't want to wear it she replied. "Mom, I like that you helped me. And I am glad I learned to sew. But there is NO WAY I am wearing that thing out in public!"

Perhaps next time I'll get her lessons. But it's cute Right?