One Tough Cookie

Since Madelyn was barely walking her daddy has been wrestling with her. The older she gets the tougher the wrestling matches. I can predict the outcome every single time. Madelyn ends up crying because her daddy gets too rough with her. I want to coddle and baby her when she starts crying and Ryan tells me she needs to toughen up. I kindly, with a glare and gritted teeth, tell him that she is only a little girl. But Madelyn is glutton for punishment and goes back time and time again to wrestle with her daddy.
I hate to admit it but Ryan was right, and the wrestling has turned her into one tough cookie. Case in point, Madelyn has a basketball game every Saturday.  She is quite aggressive and tough on the court. She gets right in there and tries to take the ball from the opposing team and doesn't care how many elbows are flying. Two weeks ago she got an elbow to the eye and ended up with a nice shiner. She didn't shed one tear over it, but it may have been because here daddy was yelling "be tough, shake it off" from the stands. Last week she took another elbow to the face and ended up with a bloody lip. Her coach made her sit out since her lip was bleeding but Madelyn told her coach I'm only sitting out for 3 minutes and then I want back in. This week she fell while at recess and hit her elbow quite hard on the ground. Her elbow is swollen a bit and  has a huge bruise.  I can tell by just looking at it that it had to have hurt. But, she didn't cry or whine about it, she just matter of factly lifted up her shirt sleeve and proudly showed me her bruise. She is way tougher than I ever was that is for sure. She is one tough cookie, thanks to all those wrestling matches with her daddy.