Sweetie's big thing to work on these days (so sayeth her parents) is Listening. Ugh! How the stubborn child doth like to fight and ignore... ignore and fight! All the live long day.
To try to teach her about listening in a fun and interactive way, she, Daddy and I played Simon Says last weekend. (well - Daddy and I called out the commands while Sweetie tried to keep up with us).
Long story short - Simon Says did not go so well. She didn't listen close enough to hear if Simon really told her to do something or not. It actually may have been partially our faults, though. I think we may have given too many Simon Says commands in a row before finally throwing one in without the necessary prefacing words.
At one point I was so fed up with her just not getting it that I found myself being short with her, saying....
Sweetie, this is not a ga......! I mean. I know we're playing a game here, but we're also trying to teach you something. You need to listen much better to hear whether or not Simon Says to do something. Pay attention!
After a little more time, Sweetie did finally have a couple successful rounds. We were delighted that she finally was listening and we told her how proud we were of her.
Me. Good for you, Sweetie! Come give me a kiss.
She did not come running.
Hubby: Simon Says give Mommy a kiss.
At that, Sweetie came bounding toward me, jumped on the couch next to me, and.... threw her Kisses the Hershey Kiss stuffed friend in my lap.
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On a different day - a rainy day - Sweetie looked out the kitchen window and proclaimed her exasperation with the weather. Then she continued, showing Daddy with her hands that,
This (showing a diamond shape with her hands) is the shape of raining water. This (adjusting her hands to make a triangle) is the shape of a Hershey's Kiss.
Uhhhh.... do you think someone had a good time on her recent family vacation? Cuz, I mean... I don't know. She never really talks about anything we did or saw while we were there. And she definitely doesn't play with any of the souvenirs we got her. Hmmmmm.... I wonder?....
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Radical change of subject - straight ahead!
Every night right before going to bed, we tell Sweetie go potty. Often this is met with a whine,
... but I don't feel like I have to go potty.
Well, you have to try. Go try to go potty.
Oh, okaaaaaayyyy. I'll tryyyyy.
Then there are the times when, for instance, we're about to leave to go someplace and we ask her to try to go potty before we head out the door. In these cases, many times after she emerges from the bathroom she'll excitedly tell me,
Hey Mama! I didn't have to try to go potty. Because I feeled like I had to go. So - I didn't try. I just went!
Good for you, Sweetie. Good for you.
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Along with Sweetie's need to grow some good Listening Ears, she's also got to get a grip on life in general these days. What does this mean, you ask? Well, basically I'm just saying that the last couple weeks or so have been filled with lots of fights about her not wanting to go various places. And then, once there, her not wanting to come home from said place.
So, of course, Sweetie threw a fit the other evening when I picked her up from Nana's house after work. She was not interested in going home at all. I'm talking, dead-weighted flailing child, rigidly stiff body of fighting child not allowing anyone to buckle her in her car booster seat, and death screams of doom. The whole 1 1/2- year old baby F.I.T.
Once she was finally, unhappily situated in her seat and we were driving home, Sweetie continued to whine for the entire trip.
But I don't want to go home!
Well, we could pretend that we're not going home. Let's pretend that we're going to our castle!
Yeah!
Yeah! And Daddy's driving to the castle now too. It's a race! Who's going to get there first? King Daddy or us - Queen Mommy and Princess Sweetie?
Yeah! And maybe we'll get there first and I can be the Princess of Corn on the Cob. And Daddy will be the King of Corn on the Cob. And you're the Queen of Corn on the Cob.
Uhhhhh. Okay. If that's what makes you happy, then.... Just stop the incessant fighting and whining.... PLEASE! Because the Queen (of Corn on the Cob)? She is not amused. :(
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