{Share your Life} The toddler life

Dear little E,

I know the toddler life can’t be easy.  I mean, you are only spoiled rotten by your grandparents and have every toy known to mankind. You only get to learn and play all day with little responsibility    It can’t be easy taking a nap in the afternoon and getting 12 hours of sleep each night.  I understand that toddler life can be frustrating as you want to tell me something and don’t know the words to use.  I understand that you have a meltdown because its the only way you can get out those emotions.  I’m sorry that once that meltdown has you throwing yourself on the floor that you end up in timeout, but it resets you and you come out of timeout apologizing “I all done throwing fit.  Sorry mom.”  I’m sorry you have to learn things the hard way sometimes, but that’s the toddler life.

I’m sorry to tell you son that you are about to learn another lesson the hard way.  You see, “B” (aka the binkie/pacifier), has been slowly leaving you.  During your first year, you could have it whenever you liked.  At 1, Mommy started hiding it during the day and you could only have it during your morning nap, afternoon nap and at bedtime.    When you turned 2 and starting taking one nap a day, B was only present for that afternoon nap and bedtime, as it is now.

I fear that B is about to depart from your life forever, and it is not Mommy’s choosing, but yours.  You see, the past week, at bedtime, after Mommy and Daddy have prayed with you, kissed you goodnight, tucked you in and turned off the lights, you have been throwing B out of your crib.  You then promptly cry out in the loudest voice:

B!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY B!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MOMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY B!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What you don’t know is that I am on to your scheming.  I have caught on to your manipulative maneuvers to avoid bedtime.  For the first 2 days, it worked, but now I get what you are doing.  And I question why it took me 2 days to figure it out.  So last night, we had this discussion:

Mommy:  Ok E. Look at Mommy’s eyes.  Listen to Mommy.  If you throw B out of your bed, I’m not coming back to get it.  You will be without B for the night.  Do you understand?  B will be byebye for the night if you throw it out of your bed.  Mommy is not coming back to get it for you.  Understand? Yes mom?

E: Yes mom. No B out.

Last night, we said our bedtime prayer, exchanged kisses, and tucked you in.  And with a mischevious look on your face, you slowly started to push Mo-Mo (Elmo) out of your crib.  We began to  leave the room and in the few seconds it took us to get to the door, you had pushed Mo-Mo out of the crib, in which you promptly responded:

MO-MO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY MO-MO!!!! MOMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *crying*

Oh my goodness.  Tonight, we will have a discussion about things leaving your crib, period.  Whether its B or Dog, or Mo-Mo, or Frog, or Bear, or Her-aff (Giraffe).  If they get tossed, they stay tossed.  They will not come back for the night.  You may have them the next night, but do you really want to wait that long?

The lesson you must learn, son, is that throwing things out of your crib is not going to delay bedtime.  And B just might leave forever if it keeps getting thrown out.  I know toddler life is hard sometimes, like going to bed at a decent bedtime.  I get it.  But no amount of tossing critters or B’s out of your bed is going to extend play time.  So for your sake of not losing B, and for Mommy’s sanity, please stop throwing everything out of your crib!

Love,

Mommy