We are in so much trouble

My nine year old, darling beauty that she is, has learned about teasing boys. Apparently there is one boy (S) that likes her, but that she doesn't like "in that way" but there is another boy (C) that she DOES like in "that way." There is no problem for her, though, because that just means there are TWO boys that she can coerce to do as she pleases.
"All I have to do is look like this at them, and then they give me what I want!"
"Wait, I thought S likes you, but you don't like him back?"
"So what, if he gives me what I want when I ask him?"
"Well, because...it isn't nice."
"But it IS fun..."

Good lord, what have I created?

The worst part? The other two agreed with her. 

It appears my family curse has followed me to my children. This is no ordinary curse. I'm not sure where it came from or why it was bestowed on my sisters and I. All I know is that it spells trouble for the future of my household. What is this curse you ask? I would fear to name it but, at this point, I doubt I can avoid invoking it. It is the Cute Little Girl Power.

What? Don't laugh! This is serious business! Have YOU ever tried to say "no" to an adorably cute little girl with blond curls and adorably big, blue eyes? What's even worse, is when that little girls KNOWS the power she has. These little imps can wield their cuteness with alarming skill and devastation. Once a poor little boy is wrapped in their web of deception, they are helpless. It only gets worse as they get older. Once the Tit Fairy has made the first visit, those poor, pre-adolescent boys will never know what hit them.


Now, on the surface it might seem pretty innocent (they ALL want you to think that) but you need to have some serious cute-inoculation or antidote on hand because the world is about to get wrapped, quite snugly, around a very little pinky. Once these bombshells-in-training have learned what batting their eyes will get them, they won't quit. They will buy mascara and try to get even more. If you think a spoiled girl is trouble, a PRETTY spoiled girl is five times worse.

As if that wasn't bad enough, this stuff runs in families. When you have more than one sister in the same family, generally they will all have some version of the curse. At that point it is just a matter of time before a boy comes a calling. One foot in the door and the boy is as good as gone. If one sister doesn't grasp him in her claws, the next one will. Surprisingly, this causes much less grief in the family than you would think. The boy, as usual, will pay the larger price. Occasionally, like was the case in my own family, there are plenty of sisters and word will get around. Guys will come over to "hang out" and become a "family friend" so that they can have a chance with more than one sister. He THINKS he knows what he is doing, but the poor thing is playing with fire. He will enjoy getting burned nonetheless.

I have seen this curse take hold a lot since we moved to the country. The allure of the New Kid In Town helped things along a bit. Once these neighborhood boys stopped by to say hello, we haven't been able to get rid of them. One is about the age of the youngest and one is about the age of the oldest one. The middle one just bats them all around like a kitten playing with string. These boys are terribly smitten (Why else would they come to the one house in the neighborhood WITHOUT a Wii or a PS3?) They come over nearly ever afternoon with a hopeful look on their lost little faces. "Can the girls play?"

Hmmm, I don't really know about this. Yes, they want to play, but dare I LET them, knowing the consequences? Can you let a piranha loose in a tank of goldfish without feeling a bit of remorse for the goldfish? Should I try, somehow, to keep them under lock and key as much as I can? Try to protect the world from my Little Darlings for the world's own good? Maybe, I should go in the other direction. Encourage and teach my daughters as much about The Curse as I can? Maybe they will, as unlikely as it may be, learn to wield their powers for Good instead of Evil? Should I sit them down and have the Superman speech with them - with great power comes great responsibility.

Who am I kidding? In the world today, they can use any edge they can find. Sure I'll try to do my best to raise them the way good girls should be raised but in the end, what use is it to fight against something that has plagued my family for generations? Besides, I would be a hypocrite if I tried to say I never used the puppy dog eyes to get DH to go get me ice cream in the middle of the night.

Deb