Keepin' It Real

While sometimes I tend to saccharine sweetness on this blog, my ultimate goal is to accurately represent the joys and travails of parenthood and some of those of childhood, as observed. Or at least offer glimpses into both. And if there's anytime in a child's life that gives a parent the opportunity to jump off the saccharine train and onto the reality bus, I propose that it is those months around the magic year of 2.

As Josh observed the other day when watching our toddlers accost one another, "aaahhh...original sin."

Or as the old poem goes: "There was a little girl, who had a little curl, right in the middle of her forehead. And when she was good, she was very very good. And when she was bad, she was horrid."

Exhibit A: My daughter has literally started saying "mine" in her sleep. There was a bloodcurdling scream the other night, followed by a bellow of "mine!" This happened no fewer than 3 times.

Children, left to their own devices (or even exposed to our sad attempts at parenting) can be horrid. But, as the poem also alludes, they can be very, very good. And hilarious. And precious. And just when you think that you're kidding yourself by attributing the awful behavior to an incoming molar and that the truth must certainly be that you've bred a truly unkind and insufferable little human, the clouds clear, the tears slow and she walks to the corner under her own steam, saying she needs to go to "mime out" and, turning, looks at you and says, "I sorry Mommy" with no prompting.

What's brought this on? Observing Meredith with Walt and Nora. Listening to a chorus of "mines." Watching her apologize to Nora for her selfish behavior, and then lift the just-relinquished beautiful red plastic necklance right over Nora's little head AGAIN. So, in the interest of keepin' it real, hang in there toddler parents. I've got one too.

The following pictures are not offered as evidence of bad behavior. Those wily wee ones are too fast to allow their tricks to be captured on film.


In a moment of peace, Meredith said "thank you" to Walt everytime he dumped a cup of water on her head. Dozens of times. Lots of water.


They're sedate and manageable when watching good music. (Well, Nora always is).


This is the good music: one of the coolest sets of percussive devices I've ever seen.


This man had the truest twinkle in his eye I've ever seen. The girls were transfixed by him.


Precious Nora has entered the "no" stage (or so her parents say) but has not yet discovered the joys of "mine." Meredith will induct her into that selfish society soon enough.


Walt scores while Meredith is distracted.

And to conclude this unromantic post, I'll tell you that sometimes my daughter is also very strange (albeit preciously so). She has recently learned to say "cheese" when someone is taking her picture. However, some wires got crossed when she learned this behavior, because she seems to think that part of the routine is also to strangle oneself. She grasps her neck, while saying cheese, and really hurts herself if I don't take the picture fast enough. WHAT. THE. HECK.




And that's it for this edition of Alarming Toddler Behavior. I'll be back on the saccharine train next week.