Saturday, February 26, 2011

A Three-Year-Old's Complexities

Caring for/managing/maintaining/supporting/attempting to understand a three-year-old is much more complex than the simple care of a newborn.  Finn is so full of contradictions lately it makes my brain hurt. Just in a four hour period, Finley had us frustrated, confused, and pondering:

-Why is he acting grouchy during the play date he had been excited about just moments before?

-How could we have declared potty training a success during the months of June, July, and August; completely reverted in September; and just now, months later, be reattempting the use of the toilet?

-Memorizing the book Polar Express is one thing, but if he loves it so much that he constantly plays imaginary "Polar Express" (and here it is late February), why can't he sit still while we read it with him?!

- First he refuses to change into his pjs, fighting Jason every step of the way as if he's being forced to submerge himself in a cauldron of boiling slime.  Then, he is proud and wanting to share the good news with me when he, finally, succeeds.  "Mommy, I put on my shirt myself, my underwear myself, my pants myself."  I am proud of you, Bud, but couldn't you skip the drama beforehand?

-Why can't we, intelligent adults, manage to squelch the bed-time stalling?  Really, no one has to "try" to go potty three times!

-What three-year-old invented whining and how can we pay him or her to stop perpetuating it!?

 Meanwhile, during those same four hours, Wylie was either eating or sleeping.  For a brief few moments, when we took Finn up to bed, I forgot Wylie was here.

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