Having been parents for a considerable amount of time, we've learnt that toddlers do the exact opposite of what they are told, most of the time.
Whenever we say "NO!", we realise it is a double-edged sword: she may well obey us, or flash us a cheeky grin and do it anyway, and perhaps do it repeatedly in the days and weeks to come.
In case you are wondering, the following sequence of photographs are in the correct order:
The young adventurer not only discovered that handrails usually accompany stairs, she has discovered how to use them, even if she's not quite the correct height yet.
To her (and our) amazement, Hannah discovered yet another skill - walking up the stairs backwards, all the while holding on to the handrail! No wonder she is a picture of concentration, tongue sticking out and all.
Little Hannah conquers yet another obstacle. It seems as though recently, Hannah has been blossoming into a little girl and leaving her little baby identity far far behind.
Not only has she developed a considerable amount of vocabulary, our little angel seem to be hitting the "Terrible Two's" a little prematurely.
"NO!" is the ruling word in the household - either announced by the obstinate toddler or screamed by the terrified grandparent.
Some of the controversial issues in this household includes:
- The potty - some time ago, Hannah decided the potty is for playing and not for you-know-what. She happily sits on it, lid closed, diaper on, and proclaims to the whole world that she is, well, sitting. 'Everything' gets caught in the diaper these days. Sigh.
- Bath water - as the name suggests, water in a bath tub is for bathing. Simple. Our Hannah decides she needs a little alkaline addition to her tummy and regularly drinks it. We've tried taking away her plastic tubs, firmly but calmly reprimanding her, but all to no avail.
- Pyjamas - Hannah has quite a few lovely body suits given to her, but we've had to pack it away prematurely. One night after we had put the little girl to bed, we popped in to check on her and discovered to our amusement (and horror) that she was soundly asleep, but half naked. Having acquired the skill of undoing poppers, she now takes off any article of clothing that has poppers. She then comes over and dolefully goes "mummy help", and expects me to do up everything just so she can take it off again. Typical, isn't it?
And of course, there's the favourite video, the favourite book, the favourite song etc that Hannah requests over and over again. Recently, she's taken to the Doxology, a song that we sing at the end of our bedtime story and prayer routine. It doesn't take Einstein to figure this one out though - a smart toddler bedtime delaying tactic.
So, our little Hannah has a mind of her own. Whether it is climbing up a flight of stairs, combing her hair or getting potty trained, she decides to do it her way, on her terms. The occasional battle of will ensues whenever parent and child disagrees.
You win some and you lose some.
Who can resist this cheeky face anyway?
Now that we have to sing "Doxology" so often, can someone offer us alternative tunes? The least we could do is to make it interesting if we have to sing it for the umpteenth time.
1 comment:
When Ben was a baby, we used to play a bible CD so that he fell asleep to it. Then after a while he would memorize it by sound and could repeat nearly it word for word! Then when he grew up, he could follow it in the book.
Aren't kids great? Jocelyn's just as stubborn except she now knows the word 'scary' which she uses whenever she is afraid. She comes and hugs you, points her finger and says 'scary.'
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