It’s Official, My Almost-Two-Year-Old is Smarter Than Me.

TJ is 23 months – you know what that means…

The Terrible Two’s

He has hit these stereotypical “personality milestones” early throughout his life, and the TT’s have been no exception. A couple of months ago he started screaming for no reason, throwing little tantrums and saying, “No” to pretty much everything, even things we knew he wanted.

The great thing about T is that he is a smart, smart boy and it’s been pretty easy to curb these behaviors with little frustration for me and Tom, and lots and lots of repetition for T. He responds well when Tom and I firmly tell him his behavior is inappropriate, explain why, and give him an example of an appropriate response. Tedious for us? You bet. But his outbursts are fewer and farther between every day, so the approach we’ve taken seems to be working with him.

Smarty-pants little boy, for sure.

I got a taste this morning of just how smart, though…and by that I mean, my child proved this morning that he is smarter than me.

I had just finished getting TJ dressed for the day and was telling him what we were getting ready to do…

Me: “We’re going to put on shoes, and then take mama to work in the white car. Can you please pick night-night and nook up off the floor and put them in your crib?”

T: “No?”

Me: “Thierry James, please pick up night-night and nook and put them in your crib.”

T: <In whiney crybaby drama voice> “Noooooo!”

Me: “That is an inappropriate reaction, I don’t want to hear the word ‘No’ from you anymore.”

I stupidly continued, here's where it gets good…

Me: “What does mama say when you ask her to do something for you? I say ‘Let’s do it…Ok…I would love to’ and that’s what you need to say when I ask you to do something.”

T: <Gives me the side eye> “Mama wanna go to the zoo?....Mama no go to work, and go to the zoo with Thierry James? OK!...I would love to!”

Me: <Dumbfounded…Staring...Oh. My. Lord.>

TJ proceeded to laugh and of course I joined him. I was actually in awe. What a little stinker! I mean, I painted myself into a corner with that one - but seriously?

He’s outsmarting me already? Winning the battle of wits?!

But I’m so witty!

It’s on, kid. It is so on.

I’ve said it a million times before, and I will say it a million times more…this parenting thing is going to be fun.



Devious little grin, if I've ever seen one.

Enjoy a Tempertastic Tuesday Friends!
Christa

No Wonder Kids Throw Tantrums in Public - They Look at Millions of Buttholes All Day

Have you ever crouched down to the eye level of a toddler riding in a stroller? Try it sometime. We were at the Lincoln Park Zoo a few weeks ago, walking through the monkey house with my parents, and TJ was becoming a bit unruly, so I crouched down to his level to talk to him and supply some sustenance, only to make an alarming discovery.

To set the scene, the monkey house was packed - apparently spider monkeys and gorillas and chimpanzees draw quite an audience on a Saturday afternoon in Chicago, but as I looked around from T's eye level, literally all I could see were people's butts. Big butts, small butts, some as big as your head! Flat butts, mom-jean butts, bubble butts, butts that I'm sure were really wrinkly, and I guarantee there were some butts within my nose smelling radius that were farting at that very moment. Right in my and my kid's face.

No wonder kids throw tantrums in public places! When you stick them in their stroller, all they can see (and smell) are strangers bungholes! Why has no one thought of this yet?! Or maybe someone did, and that was the genesis of the "Sit and Stand" stroller concept.

Try as I might to "get into the mind of my one-year-old" this was a revelation to me. If all I could see were butts when I looked around I would be pissed enough to throw a tantrum in a public arena, too. Kudos to our kids for keeping it together for as long as they do in crowded public places.

When we visit DisneyWorld someday we will definitely NOT make our kids ride in a stroller - that place is elbows to assholes for the adults walking around, can you imagine what the kids in strollers endure?! I encourage you all to be sensitive to the rampant epidemic of buttstink in the world - for your kids sake. By the time you detect a smelly butt your kid-in-a-stroller has probably already been subjected to the stank for like 2 minutes, so my God people - run! Separate from the crowds! I mean seriously, how would you feel if you looked around and all you could see were BUTTS?!

I'm glad I could shed some light on this topic for you - Good luck out there, and may you remain pinkeye free.

Christa