Thirteen Things I’ve Learned From A Toddler
No need for a drumroll.
Well, maybe just a little one.
1. You can search the world over, but you will never find a food more perfect than Cheetos.
2. Finding Nemo is a crowning cinematic achievement, regardless of what you think about the whole Marlin / Dory thing.
3. Potty training? Overrated. Clearly we should all just strap on some form of sackcloth and go about our business (and Our Business), because trips to the bathroom are really nothing more than an interruption to valuable playtime.
4. There’s no such thing as too many stuffed animals in the bed. You might foolishly think that 2 or 3 is plenty – but 15 is actually much more desirable.
5. Waking up grumpy is not genetic. Because if it were, I’d have sullen child stomping down the stairs every morning. But his ingrained personality trumps my genetic code every time – and he’s all, “HEY, MAMA! HEY, DADDY! HOW YOU THIS MORNIN’? DID YA SLEEP GOOD? WANT WAFFLE WITH SYRUP?” And I’m all, “GRRRRRRRRRRRR.” But then ultimately it’s hard to growl when a three year old throws his arms around your legs and squeezes.
6. It’s nearly impossible to discipline a child and utter the phrase “obedience brings blessing; disobedience brings consequences” without feeling God saying, “And yeah, Mama – that means you, too.”
7. Which reminds me: YOU PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME THAT BEFORE I HAD A CHILD! I thought I was going to be doing the teaching…I had no idea that I would be learning the lessons. Daily.
8. Hearing “What’s that?” repeatedly does take a toll on one’s patience. And mental health. And demands a period of solitude in order to recover.
9. There is an instant, unbreakable connection between grandparents and grandchildren. And it really has nothing to do with candy. On some level Alex completely senses his grandparents’ complete and utter devotion to him. And vice versa.
10. When you were little and sick and your mama said, “I wish it were me and not you,” she really did mean it. I never, ever thought that I would wish that I could throw up in someone else’s place, but for the little man? Totally.
11. Daddies are clearly way cooler than mamas because daddies make things crank and cut and drill and flame.
12. And mamas are pretty good, too, especially for taking naps and fixing boo-boo’s and cuddling before bedtime.
13. Whether you have four children, no children, sixteen children, or one child – there is no greater earthly blessing than family. That I know for sure.
Sweet, sweet:) Well put, as always. (See there, you don’t have to be a fiction writer to be darn good!!)
Rave on, fellow Mama. And I’d honestly rather bleed than throw up, but I’d do the old heave-ho for Jessica every time if it would help. :)
You mean to tell me that Cheetos aren’t the world’s most perfect nutritionally balanced food? We might just have a feud kindlin’ here, BooMama, LOL. ;)
Top rated nonfiction writing, BooMama. I enjoyed every last bit of this real life post.
Amen to all of it! #10 has blown my mind for years. EVERY TIME I say that to my kids I think, “Wow, I can’t believe I actually MEAN this!!!”
:-)
Great list, BooMama. I can relate to ALL of them!! I often read your posts – Toni got me hooked when she said “BooMama can spin a phrase like no other.” I have to say that I agree with her. I love reading your thoughts, and the entertaining way you write.
#1 – Cheetos are da bomb! (the puffy ones, not the crunchy ones.)
#10 – I love my kids and all, and I’d suffer almost anything in their place, but really, isn’t it enough just to hold their hair out of the way? How ’bout if I don’t make them clean up their own barf? Yeah, I know what you mean. It hurts worse to see them suffer.
Toddlers do make the best teachers.
I love them all but especially LOL at #8: Hearing “What’s that?” repeatedly does take a toll on one’s patience. And mental health. And demands a period of solitude in order to recover.
I am so there with you on this journey. BayouBaby turns 3 at the end of the month.
Obviously #9 – personal favorite. Caiden and I are steadfast buddies. He loves me and his Papa just because we love him. I tell him often I love him more than any other 4 year old in the world and there are billions and billions, so he’s like the McDonalds kid.
I also learned God gave me the kids he did, not to teach them, but to work on me. Man did he think I had a lot to learn!
Best Thursday Thirteen EVER! I was; as always when reading your blog, choked up and giggling all at once :) Have I told you how awesome you are?
Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you this important tidbid when I talked to you the other day. Rewatched “Nemo” with D & G this past weekend, and I have determined definitively that Dory and Marlin’s relationship is strictly platonic. She has merely come to live in their neighborhood in order to be close to them. She has found others who care for her and nurture her, and they have taken her under their collective fin. How’s that for fish analysis?
That was fabulous, but I have to agree with the rest of the Cheetos fans.
Super list! And, on #8 when their almost 4 it changes to “Why Mama?” I don’t know this from experience I’m just guessing. :)
I read somewhere that we learn %10 of what we here and %90 of what we teach. That must be a big reason God gave us kids. One way or another we are going to learn.
Wonderful list!