When your Lucy arrives, you are no doubt thrilled by her bright eyes, warm smile (with dimple!) and glossy brown hair. There are many wonderful things your Lucy can do, and she is a wonderful companion, but you have to keep her in good condition or you won’t be satisfied with her attitude.
1) Your Lucy loves to be active, but she needs her sleep at night, naps only make her grumpier so they are not a fix. You can tell your Lucy is tired because of her delayed reaction times in conversation, as well as trouble finding the rights words and she will default to speaking without any nouns what-so-ever. She will also be squinty eyed and probably have bed-hair, and be dressed in the most comfortable thing that is socially appropriate (ie sweat pants) Also she will be in a general bad mood, and will not enjoy any outings.
Most common fixes for complaints of being tired are; check and make sure the room is cool enough at night, make sure the cat is put out of the bedroom for the night, make sure your Lucy doesn’t eat candy or sugar too close to bedtime, be sure back-lit screens are not used within 1/2 hour of sleep time (TV, lap top, ipad, etc. Kindle is okay), be sure it’s not too bright in the bedroom at night (but black-out curtains backfire and your Lucy will not be able to wake up without natural light). If your Lucy is tired and you MUST take her somewhere, make sure she is well fed and give her some sugar (just not too close to bedtime).
2) Your Lucy is generally not picky with her food, until she is TOO hungry, it’s a mode called “over-hungry” and is very hard to get out of because while she is hungry nothing sounds good to eat, and she becomes incapable of making food for herself. Signs of being over-hungry are: walking back and forth in the kitchen, opening the fridge but closing it each time without taking anything out, loud sighs, slight headache, heightened sense of smell (leftovers become unappealing at this point), meltdown over-hungry signs are; becoming teary when food is offered but doesn’t sound appealing, and flopping dramatically onto bed or couch.
This is an easy fix, but an easier thing to avoid all together. First, make sure there is enough fresh food in the house, and/or a well stocked pantry so your Lucy can make food for herself. Also, remind her that she Has to eat lunch, your Lucy will often forget lunch and then become over-hungry too close to dinner which leads to more frustration. When your Lucy goes into over-hungry mode, stop asking her what sounds good to eat and make a grilled cheese sandwich. If you are unable to make the sandwich for whatever reason, get her a bowl of cereal. It will be enough food to tide her over until dinner and it will make her more reasonable in the mean time.
3) Another common issue your Lucy might have is called “shower envy”. This is also an easy thing to avoid, but here’s what it is. Shower envy occurs every 2-3 days (start counting from a shower taken), your Lucy likes to be clean and will want to clean herself 2-3 days after her last shower. If she is unable to do so (traveling, busy, no shampoo, cold water, whatever) she will become irritable and take longer to get ready if going somewhere because she is compensating for feeling gross. If everyone is the same perceived level of grossness- things are fine, minus the longer prep time. But if one person in the party (or family) takes a shower and your Lucy is unable to do so also because of time restraint AND you have to go somewhere, your Lucy will not be happy, and will likely refuse to go anywhere at all.
As I mentioned, this is an easy fix, just make sure you leave enough time for everyone to shower if you are going somewhere later. You can prompt your Lucy by saying, ‘I’m going to take a shower now, but we still have X amount of time before we have to be at Y’. After you have taken a shower, there is no possible cure for shower envy except to let her take a shower too.
4) The “nothing to wear” syndrome is less common, hard to deal with at the time but easy to prevent. This syndrome usually strikes with you are already running late, are going some place new, or don’t know the temperature of the place you are going. Your Lucy, while cute and loving, is a creature of habit and doesn’t like to be uncomfortable.
The easiest fix at the time is to encourage your Lucy to wear something comfortable and that she usually wears. During the I Have Nothing to Wear is NOT the time to try something new. Reassure her that she looks wonderful and keep her from staring into her closest, it’s over whelming and she doesn’t wear any of those clothes anyway. TIP: also make sure she is wearing comfortable, tried and true, foot wear. Now is also not the time to see if those cute, but pinching shoes have broken in yet.
Some other issues users have reported are:
Your Lucy runs late consistently, mornings are usually a rush so don’t introduce anything new during the ‘get ready and out the door’ routine. Also don’t play that game where you tell her something starts earlier than it does, you will end up with a rushed Lucy who is unhappy at being fooled, vs being late but with a put-together Lucy. Just tell her when you want to be walking out the door, and she will try her best to be ready then.
Don’t be surprised while window shopping if your Lucy is suddenly missing, just look for the area with the most cute things and she will be there. Also, shiny things and brightly colored things draw her attention.
If she complains of a head ache, remind her to drink some water, it is always, always because she hasn’t been drinking enough water.
When traveling, your Lucy will often over pack, but she always carries what she packs, so the only thing you can do is encourage her that 10 tank tops is too many for a weekend trip.
At home, your Lucy likes to display things, but is made lethargic by clutter. If you are putting her in a cluttered space, be prepared because she Will de-clutter with or without your permission.
Your Lucy will sometimes be overwhelmed by too many loud people or fast moving cars. This is normal and can’t be helped. If you can, move her away from the loud area or people and try walking if you are in an area that supports alternative transpiration, if you can’t walk, suggest that she drive as she will feel more in control of the speed. If neither is possible, now is a good time to listen to an ipod or talk about cute kitties.
Your Lucy is a fun, but delicate creature, and you must become familiar with her body language and facial expressions. While her facial expressions may seem negative or hard to decipher at first, know that she is not mad (she’ll tell you) and that knowing your Lucy is a rewarding experience that will give you many years of companionship. Take care, and enjoy her!
