The really good moments
Life with a toddler feels a bit bipolar at times. Isaac is a good guy overall, but he certainly throws his share of tantrums. It ticks me off that he will snap to attention when Dada barks at him, but merely shoots me that horrible smirk when I do. He has also already learned that, if Mommy says no, sometimes Daddy will say yes, and vice versa, so every request denied by one parent gets passed by the other. Sometimes it's enough to make a parent internally combust from the fury. And yet I don't beat him! I should get an award.
What amazes me, then, is that for approximately every two oh-my-god-you-are-driving-me-insane moments, he comes through with a moment so darling or so parentally rewarding that it makes everything so delightfully worthwhile. At least once a day he spontaneously declares "I wuv you so much, Mommy." Or last night, when we took him on our monthly Toys R Us run and Daddy bought him a $10 set of Toy Story figurines, the whole way home in the car he said over and over "Thank you, Daddy! I love it!"
Today he gave me two such moments.
Moment 1:
We went to the grocery store this afternoon, and I had a deathwish or something because I chose to start our shopping adventure at naptime.
[Now I must momentarily depart from the storyline to tell you that we are trying something with him. He is scary-bad about running away from us in public. Fearless, the boy is. I used to insist that he be pushed around the grocery store in the cart. Now, to try to train him to stay close, I let him walk next to me, with the impending threat of "If you don't stay close to Mom, you have to ride in the cart." "No, I walk!" he retorts. Anyway, back to our story.]
As soon as we hit the produce section, he starts molesting the strawberry packaging, picking up plums, and, seeing the apples, walks up ("An APPLE!") and starts to take a bite from one. Despite major protests, into the cart he goes. At first he cries and whines, but I remind him that he broke the rules, and the consequence is that he must ride in the cart. To my surprise, he LISTENS, shuts up, and rides in peace.
Five minutes later, he looks away from me and spontaneously says:
"Mommy, I sorry. I not touch things. I stay with mommy. I walk now please?"
Of course the boy was instantly put back on the ground. Until the dairy section, where he lost it again, but still! He listened! And understood!
Moment 2:
Jacob, Isaac, and I were playing on the bed with Isaac's new Toy Story toys in Jacob's room this afternoon. Isaac makes up all kinds of dialogue and action between the little figures, and at one point in time, Mr. Potato Head was zooming through the air. Jacob, who when awake can't keep his eyes off Isaac, was positively tickled by this and really laughed out loud, hysterically, until he ran out of breath.
All I can get from the kid is a little "huh!" for my "A"-routine.
Anyway, you could see Isaac's face slowly light up, like a sunrise, recognizing that 1) Jacob was paying rapt attention to him, and 2) he could make Jacob laugh like no one else. Isaac repeated his zooming-Potato act over and over, with the same musical results from Jacob. It was magical. Until Isaac got so caught up in the rollicking action that he attempted some slapstick and lunged at Jacob's face, but still! Think of the possibilities as they get older!
What amazes me, then, is that for approximately every two oh-my-god-you-are-driving-me-insane moments, he comes through with a moment so darling or so parentally rewarding that it makes everything so delightfully worthwhile. At least once a day he spontaneously declares "I wuv you so much, Mommy." Or last night, when we took him on our monthly Toys R Us run and Daddy bought him a $10 set of Toy Story figurines, the whole way home in the car he said over and over "Thank you, Daddy! I love it!"
Today he gave me two such moments.
Moment 1:
We went to the grocery store this afternoon, and I had a deathwish or something because I chose to start our shopping adventure at naptime.
[Now I must momentarily depart from the storyline to tell you that we are trying something with him. He is scary-bad about running away from us in public. Fearless, the boy is. I used to insist that he be pushed around the grocery store in the cart. Now, to try to train him to stay close, I let him walk next to me, with the impending threat of "If you don't stay close to Mom, you have to ride in the cart." "No, I walk!" he retorts. Anyway, back to our story.]
As soon as we hit the produce section, he starts molesting the strawberry packaging, picking up plums, and, seeing the apples, walks up ("An APPLE!") and starts to take a bite from one. Despite major protests, into the cart he goes. At first he cries and whines, but I remind him that he broke the rules, and the consequence is that he must ride in the cart. To my surprise, he LISTENS, shuts up, and rides in peace.
Five minutes later, he looks away from me and spontaneously says:
"Mommy, I sorry. I not touch things. I stay with mommy. I walk now please?"
Of course the boy was instantly put back on the ground. Until the dairy section, where he lost it again, but still! He listened! And understood!
Moment 2:
Jacob, Isaac, and I were playing on the bed with Isaac's new Toy Story toys in Jacob's room this afternoon. Isaac makes up all kinds of dialogue and action between the little figures, and at one point in time, Mr. Potato Head was zooming through the air. Jacob, who when awake can't keep his eyes off Isaac, was positively tickled by this and really laughed out loud, hysterically, until he ran out of breath.
All I can get from the kid is a little "huh!" for my "A"-routine.
Anyway, you could see Isaac's face slowly light up, like a sunrise, recognizing that 1) Jacob was paying rapt attention to him, and 2) he could make Jacob laugh like no one else. Isaac repeated his zooming-Potato act over and over, with the same musical results from Jacob. It was magical. Until Isaac got so caught up in the rollicking action that he attempted some slapstick and lunged at Jacob's face, but still! Think of the possibilities as they get older!
posted by Claire at 10:49 PM
1 Comments:
awww.
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