February 20, 2013
I used to worry about time—getting older and wishing the clock would stop. In the past four months, I feel time has stopped completely, because the drama seems to never end. With a vampire-hybrid, it gets magnified by a thousand percent.
As predicted, Jacob integrated himself into the college community and became enthralled with the experience, which is expected and normal, but Ness was having difficulties. "Difficulties" is an understatement.
The rest of September and middle of October Jacob would talk to Ness twice a day—once in the middle of the day and at bedtime. As we approached Halloween, Jacob called at bedtime. In November, it was a couple of times a week. Renesmee was pacified around Thanksgiving; she was able to spend time with him as a family; however, on Black Friday, Aunt Alice and Rose dragged Ness shopping, and Ness was exhausted. Whether this was a vision of Alice's or just their plain instincts, they knew they had to keep Renesmee's attention.
Jacob explained to her December was going to be difficult, because he had projects to finish and finals to study for. He wasn't going to have a lot of spare time. This did not go well.
For three weeks, Renesmee threw horrible tantrums. Her anger and frustration destroyed pieces of furniture, some of the antiques, and several bedroom doors. It would be this violent cycle of crying, getting angry, destroying something, and falling into a depression, which started the cycle again. When I was this age, I might have had maybe three tantrums, but she was having two tantrums a day.
Edward and I were at our wits' end, and Carlisle thought a behavioral analysis could show us what to do. Unfortunately, it showed Renesmee was going through puberty ten times its normal speed. We ended up going to Dad.
Since Charlie has known the secret, we've been closer, and we are able to share experiences together, but now, he also was involved in some of the more negative issues we dealt with. Charlie is no Dr. Phil; he wasn't the expert in parenting—what parent is? He was now a fresh perspective.
Two weeks before Christmas, we left Renesmee with the family as Edward and I drove to Dad's and Sue's house. They were living together as they planned their wedding in May. She was an asset to our problem solving; Sue also raised two children, Seth and Leah, and probably dealt with something like this in the past.
Edward and I were on the edge of the sofa rigid. Neither of us wanted to relax and recline; we actually were on the edge of our sanity. Sue took one of the recliners, while Dad eased himself in his chair.
Charlie sipped his coffee, "So, kids, having problems with Ness?"
"She's not dealing with Jacob's choice to go to college," Edward's tone was mild, but he tried to keep his voice steady. This is a rare for Edward to be angry about something that was totally un-vampire.
Sue leaned forward. "Honey, what is she doing?"
I was collecting my thoughts, so they all didn't spill out at once. "Ness… she is throwing violent tantrums…"
"Bells, can you give us an example?"
"She is destroying bedroom doors—practically pulling the doors off their hinges." Charlie couldn't stop his jaw from dropping. "If she was just human, we could be saying she was being a spoiled brat and punish her, but the imprinting is making her…and us frustrated, and she cannot find a way to focus her anger and frustration."
Sue took a deep breath as if she already knew what was happening. "Guys, this is a problem the Quileute people deal with all the time. No one in the outside world, besides you, understands how imprinted can affect the stability of the family and the tribe. Jake and Quil imprinted on children, who they have to wait for them to grow up, before the true connection will take affect.
"Imprinting is really like two strong magnets that it supposed to stay together. It takes a lot of strength to pull the magnets or the imprints apart. Before when we were isolated from society years ago, it didn't cause problems, because the imprinted people were in proximity of each other throughout the aging process, but it causes more problems than solutions today. Leah…" Sue choked on her words. Leah and Sam were in love and had planned their life together, but Sam imprinted on Emily, which ended Leah's and Sam's relationship. It changed from lovers to siblings. This was a shock to Leah's system, and she has had a difficult time accepting the fact Sam wasn't meant for her. She, like Jacob, separated herself from the situation by attending Northwestern in Illinois, and well, things have been better, and that's a story for another entry.
"Harry and I tried to give her all the support she needed, but she like Ness could not adapt. She too would throw tantrums—maybe not as violent as Ness's, but she was always angry and bitter. This was one of the reasons she hated you, because she heard all of Jacob's whining and made her think constantly about losing Sam. Jake was throwing his own fit when he left after the two of you were engaged. The wolf gene is helpful in battle or protection, but the human side can be miserable."
Edward relaxed a little—not something Sue or Charlie could have seen, but I could tell. He was glad this wasn't an isolated case. Charlie piggy-backed on Sue's experience, "This may be difficult, but these tantrums shouldn't be tolerated. She needs to know that her behavior is not acceptable, and natural consequences would be enforced." Ah, the cop side of Charlie came out. I wondered how long it was going to take. Maybe this is why Edward relaxed—he read Charlie's mind and realized a solution was in sight.