Off Topic Random Humor

OK, it's one of those days where I can't think up anything amusing or entertaining to say... so instead I am going to post this SNLvideo my friend just showed me.  Everyone's been focusing on Tina Fey these days, but this Mark Wahlberg skit deserves some play too!

For some reason this totally cracks me up.

Enjoy!

Terrible Twos, Here We Come...

I'm worried that I have a hitter on my hands.

Lately K. has expressed his crankiness/frustration/annoyance with me or whatever you want to call it by hitting things, namely... me.  Yesterday he slapped me in the face not once ... but two different times!  

The first time I was so shocked, the look on my face must have registered the emotion and that was enough to make him cry.  (Which I consider to be a good thing, actually.) 

The second time, however, he sorta threw a little tantrum, mimicked me saying, "No, no, no!" and let his legs go all spaghetti-like when I tried to calmly but firmly hold his arms in front of his face to express my displeasure.

What to do?  I know that toddlers don't really know enough at this stage to really understand what it is they are doing when they hit other things, whether they are parents, other kids, pets, or inanimate objects.  But that said, I don't want to ignore this behavior and risk creating a pattern.

My strategy thus far has been to immediately grab his hands (gently, but firmly), look him in the eye and say, "No, we DO NOT HIT Mommy."  And then sort of drop it (so as not to reward him with too much attention for that specific behavior).  

Also, after the second incident yesterday, I kissed him (after a few minutes had passed and the "mood" had lifted) and made a big show of saying, "See, kisses are nice.  Mommy LIKES kisses. She likes kisses SO MUCH MORE than hits!"  And he kissed me back several times .... so I am thinking that helped him understand.

He turns 18 months old on the 25th of this month.  Terrible Twos, here we come...!

In terms of disciplining hitting, do you think I am on the right track here?  It's such a tricky thing, because it always kills me to yell at him, or speak in an unpleasant tone, but on the other hand, I feel like I need to do something to get his attention rather than ignore the behavior. Hmmmm.  What to do?  Thoughts from the peanut gallery are welcomed.

Future DJ

Now that K. has discovered "No" and "Yeah" (his two favorite words for the past month or so), he is enjoying the power that comes with these words -- particularly the former.  To wit: he loves being able to make choices, whether it is breakfast options or bedtime reading. 

The kick he seems to be on as of late pertains to music.  Within a matter of seconds, he makes his case known about the songs we either sing to him or play him on the radio, or in the car. And I've also found that he is definitely not arbitrarily saying NO.  Rather, he has specific opinions about certain songs (that remain the same over a period of a couple of days).  

So, I thought it would be interesting to note his favorites, and non-favorites, right now.  Maybe in a few months these will change.  I am really amused by the random-ness of it all.

Non-Favorites ("NO NO NO!")

Itsy Bitsy Spider

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Baa Baa Black Sheep

Oh, Shenandoah

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

La La La (by The Bird and the Bee; unfortunately one of Mom's favorite songs at the moment)

Sing a Song of Sixpence

Favorites ("Yeah, yeah!")

Little Eyes (by Yo La Tengo)

Home on the Range (sung by Mom)

I'm a Little Teapot (first sung at our JW Tumbles class today - a huge hit!!)

A song Dad made up about chewing our food so we don't choke

Yes, It's a Pink Car. Deal With It!

I've always prided myself on being an enlightened human being.  I'm not one to balk at unconventional things - mohawks, two people (of any combination of genders) making out on the subway, Bjork.  But I've realized there's one thing that makes me feel the need to constantly explain myself: my son's pink car.

The spouse bought this "pushalong buggy" for K. about two weeks ago.  We had seen one at the park and marveled at how ergonomical it was (the push handle on the back of the car for tired parents who don't want to get backaches is a godsend!) as well as how much it satisfied K. to just SIT IN THE CAR AND RIDE.  FOR LIKE 20 MINUTES STRAIGHT.  Anything that captures his attention for that amount of time is worth looking into, so we promptly set about to purchase one for our household.

Well, the day my husband came home with the car, K. was so excited it looked as if he might explode.  We painstakingly pulled it out of the huge box and... to our chagrin... it was PINK. With PURPLE ACCENTS.  

Without thinking about it, we exchanged glances, knowing that this meant we'd have to pack 'er up and take her back.

But maybe we should've taken a cue from our son.  He didn't think twice (of course, because really, at 17 months of age, do you really expect him to say "Hold on, this is way to femmy for me!  Send it back!") and lunged for the car, jumping in and saying, "Go, go!"  

Well... it was then and there that we realized that despite the societal norms that we would be breaking by allowing our son to drive around in a pink car, what it really boiled down to was one thing: his happiness.  

He has all his life to be put into boxes (real or metaphorical) and told what colors to wear, what sports to play, what friends to hang out with, etc.  Sort of depressing, when you think about it.  So for now, we will revel in the freedom that comes with breaking out of gender stereotypes!  We'll embrace it, own it, live it!

Then again ... maybe not.  Now, every time we go for a walk with that thing, I scan the landscape for people who may be staring at or approaching us and prepare my uniform explanation, "His dad bought this for him, and the pink was a mistake."

I can't help myself, I guess.  But at least my son is oblivious... and happy.