We saw a pudgy cheeked toddler aching to climb out of her mom’s shopping cart at Target the other day. She was stomping her chubby legs with verve, making her candy cane striped leggings wriggle with the folds of adorable toddler chub. Her eyes welled with tears as she hoisted a knee over the edge of the cart. The lady in the next aisle looked over and tried to amuse the child. To no avail. I was stifling laughter. Bird and Deal stared and snickered. I reminded them that it was an all too familiar scene. I sympathized with the mother but couldn’t help but giggle myself. The lady at the neighboring aisle kept trying to entertain the child while the mother paid. The child would have none of it.
She puffed out her cherubic cheeks, pursed her little lips, and gripped the side of the cart and said “NO.”
And then I had to laugh aloud.
Mac Daddy wondered (aloud) why NO is the one word all toddlers master effortlessly. And then I got to thinking…
I say NO an awful lot. I don’t recall having been a myna bird who crows NO at every turn, but somehow between marketing maven and mother I turned into a screaming toddler who yells nothing but NO.
It all starts with “Mommy, can I…?’
NO.
Play on the iPad.
Have a popsicle.
Watch TV.
Have some candy.
Open the bubble gum science kit I got for my birthday three years ago.
Make homemade goo.
Play on your laptop.
Joust on my skateboard.
Draw a mustache on my brother.
Paint the dog’s toenails.
Take all the sheets off my bed to build a fort.
Skip my shower.
Ride my bike in the street.
NO NO NO NO NO
I hear this unbecoming chant in my head, and then the sounds come out my mouth to make me sound like a raging Mommy Dearest. As long as the boys are safe (so still a no to the skateboard jousting), why am I such a fun slayer? Boys make messes and a racket, hence the name of this blog. I should stop squashing their energy and just embrace it. I need to stop before barking my natural response and focus on YES for a bit. Y.E.S. I’ll need some practice for sure. But like the grumpy toddler bellowing NO, I don’t feel any better when I say it. And my chubby thighs sure as hell aren’t as cute.
I gotta lighten up.
Don’t you remember the book about the guy who said yes to everything for a year (Yes Man)? Forget jousting on the skateboard, you’ll be sponsoring a prince in an unknown country before long. 🙂 I’m sure there’s a middle ground, but it seems like both ends of the spectrum are white sandy beaches and the middle ground is a tight rope. Actually, that image applies to all of parenting. 🙂
I totally forgot about that book!
When I stop and listen to myself sometimes I am not proud of what I hear. I’m working on changing that.