Having a toddler is hard work. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t a little bit easier the second time around, because it definitely is. I can assume the tantrums are coming, and I am getting better at doing what works to avoid those tantrums. Mikayla’s age is almost always fun. Sure she has a personality filled with determination but she is just a bubbly little weebly wobbly person who chitters and chatters for most of the day. She squeals with delight when she sees her sister or a dog and she doesn’t know how to talk back. How can people not love toddlers? Right? Well, this is just my opinion…
Four year olds (who are almost five) are a completely.different.story. We have crossed the threshold. What threshold you ask? The threshold where it used to be ok to throw a tantrum in a restaurant and now it isn’t. The threshold where you used to be able to smear ketchup all over your face and people would grab the camera and giggle with delight at the use of your fine motor skills and now you are required to wash your face and your hands before and after every meal. That same threshold where you used to be able to ask without using manners and now manners are a must. To be honest, this part of parenting scares me to death. From the time our girls could use sign language to ask for what they wanted, we prompted please and thank you. Manners, piece of cake. Mallory begs, pleads and whines with pleases and thank you’s. It has become that much of a habit. Unfortunately, manners are not all that it takes to get through life and become successful. With all of the societal requirements to get along with rest of the world comes big responsibility for the parents of these children. This is where we become less of Mallory’s friend and playmate and more her true parent. She understands we love her unconditionally so she can give us backtalk and whining all evening and know that the next morning we will still wake up, greet the day, and give her chocolate milk and put a cartoon on for her. We love her and we are never, ever, going to leave her. This she knows.
Because of the fine line we have drawn in the proverbial sand between playmate and parent, we have also become a bit of a menace to Mallory. She’s annoyed at our nagging. Why do I have to put my markers away when I am done with them? Why do I have to put my pajamas away every day? Why, Why, Why? She questions our authority and she is only four. She gets one-on-one time everyday. Amongst other things she is hugged, kissed, fed, played with and is loved (to the moon and back) every single day. But she is also told to, use her manners, wash her face, put away her pajamas, brush her teeth, clear her dishes, play with her sister, play by herself, say your sorry, pick up her toys, be gentle with her dog…
Tell me you agree that this is hard. Tell me you are trying really hard to prepare your kids for society as well. And also, tell me that you think being a menace to your kids every once in awhile is hopefully going to end up being one of the best things for them…
If anyone wants to buy stock in Clairol, now would be a good time to invest some money. These years are sure to start the graying process…
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