daddyville

...as a Person and not Just as their parent, it's a great thing! When they start to realize that within their dealings with you that there is a natural 'give and take' that happens-- that when they want something from you e.g., a certain answer to a certain question, a certain outcome to a situation--that they will get better results if they appeal to your character and energy as a person with thoughts, feelings, desires, likes and dislikes-- that day, my friends, IS a Great Day Indeed.

It's one of those moments when you realize that the repetitive nature of your experiences with them, positive and negative, sweet and sour, are just starting to sink into their little minds in that patterned memory of preferential experiences and outcomes that we All come to rely on in life so as to spare ourselves as much discomfort as possible while simultaneously increasing the amplitude of the glowing green smile of 'the pleasure principle'. Do I hear a Halelujah? Oh, wow. That's Me...Of course it is. :)

It's a fine day when your little Scamperer learns that they like the energetic sustenance of a Happy and Pleased Mommy and Daddy, but it's not just that really. They know that they like that from early on, but what takes them a little bit to figure out is how to 'Have their Cake and Eat it Too' because the truth is that they want Mommy and Daddy to Always be pleased and happy with them and they want to Have what they Want and they want that....All The Time (who doesn't, right?). When they start to realize that there are compromises to be had here that promise a most favorable 'Happiness' for All albeit spread thinly sometimes, they start to Get It: the Principle of Giving and Receiving--a basic mechanical tenet of Life's Social function.

To see your own offspring start to get this is really quite special!

"A great part of courage is the courage of having done the thing before. " -Ralph Waldo Emerson-
Me: Sounds like the words of a man who had A Lot to do! :)

The very tiresome thing about toddlers, God bless them, is that you Have to Keep Them Occupied. I know this is a natural to a greater or lesser extent depending on the kid. Our is ALWAYS On the Go! She fidgets constantly, and if you don't get ahead of the curve and line up stuff for her to fidget with, she'll take the house apart, which I guess is really not all that bad. If, however, you're planning on asking her where all the pieces went off to when you're looking to put it back together......well....good luck with that. She will not know.

Needless to say, we don't ever let it get that far. Although we have considered standing back and watching to see what happens without constant intervention (while eating popcorn or some kind of entertainment food as we watch from a kind of ethereal amphitheater), but as the house would become a slow movement towards disaster we cannot bear to watch that dismantling, and therefore......must intervene, which as parents, is of course, our Job. There are times though when you fantasize about turning 'off' the 'Overseer'--we wouldn't and can't anyway, but it isn't for a lack of fantasizing about it.

Our Beautiful Toddler certainly keeps us on our toes as we try and stay ahead of her feisty energetic Curve. :)

It's Amazing how much your sense of taste plays into your enjoyment of food. When your sinuses are congested eating becomes a 1 dimensional experience. Not so much fun, for sure.

Go Ladies, Go!!