A Bad Spell

My three year old asked me the other day, eyes gleaming over a gluttonous grin, whether I could spell some "bad" words for him. I obliged. We spent a good half hour writing and reading numerous sentences involving pee and poop. I was basking in his literacy (his longest sentence has been "I love to read my books with mama") until he asked me to write, so that he could read, his brother being poop. I reiterated since we all have to undergo the digestive and filtering process, poop and pee are not bad but rather vital, but as their product is unsavoury, to say the least, it is extremely impolite to term someone any excrement. L stared at me pensively, his head askew and pondered my position. An incipient smile curled around his lips before he blasted out with "You're poo poo mama" and erupted in laughter. M, who had been otherwise eschewing reading lessons to shoot hoops, having discovered the the utility of cheating and walking right up to the basket, was now rightly angled into this escapade. Both my sons were riotously laughing and calling me poop. The charm of parenthood.

Anytime L is not served with his "favourite" activity or thing (for instance, not catching the bus with the blue seats but rather having to endure the injury of sitting on seats brown) he linguistically lashes out and his new verbal weaponry is "poop", at times "pookie pookie" (our term for flatulence) and more insidiously, "Neputune." The latter may seem a compliment, but rather than deifying the person he has so characterized, L is rather terming them malodorous. Sometimes it’s quite hilarious, but unfortunately as a parent there are times when your promenade must stick solely to the proper path. I reiterate my position and L’s defense is “don’t worry mama, I’m just being silly” - indeed. 

My toddler loves to tell me “not to worry”. He will go to Mars (his favourite planet at the moment, demoting Earth), he informs me, but I am not to worry that it's so far away because he will return and he will bring me back some rocks to boot (L has adopted my adoration of rocks - I have a global collection, my favourite being from the Tablelands at Gros Morne). Whomever termed “threenager” was spot on. L needs “alone” time, wants to sleep in and recently has requested pocket money so he may dictate the product of his own purse. I adopted the idea and told him that if he helped me sort the laundry I would give him twenty-five cents. L thought this was grand but he wanted payment up front, which I balked at. During our negotiation, M stopped running around in circles and screamed “kaka!”  rushing to the potty (M has rushing to the potty down pat and then he invariably finishes the job with his pants still on) and our negotiation ended without a resolution, L rushing to M yelling “kakastrofa!”. The clothes were not folded by L, nor did he receive payment (and what did he want to buy? A dump truck. “Don’t worry mama, it’s for you!”).

I’ve recently hit upon an excuse for having to work away from the kids that L accepts. The reason “having to work” is not concrete for a toddler, or in any case, my toddler, to accept. Nor is elucidating the reason by explaining the necessity of obtaining money for necessary things (let alone the need to have other exploits apart from motherhood). I had to hit upon what was concrete in L's mind and I came up with adopting our next adventure. L wanted to return to Lego Land, so every time I went to work before Lego Land, I was “working for Lego Land” and now that we’ve been again and have had some respite from this amusement park, I’ve returned to “Train Town”. Not only does L accept this, but he kisses me goodbye happily and thanks me for working! I’m not sure whether professional pedagogues would approve of my approach, but it’s resulted in quite amiable partings. 

I’m having a bit of a difficult time weaning M. I nursed L till about 16 months, when I was in my second trimester with M, and it was an easy parting in the circumstances (I went to New York, ran out of milk and he shunned me). I decided to wean M who has just turned 19 months, because I can’t support his tantrums after I refuse to nurse him for his afternoon comfort and more importantly, because he is still not sleeping through the night, waking up every so often for his nursing comfort. Alas, what a seven hour stretch would be like...the only way we can have M calm down at night is if my husband comforts him. In the middle of the night he's had to trudge into the boys' room and nestle between them, comforting M. If I go in and there is no milk for M, a tantrum of seismic proportions erupts.

Somehow M learnt the term “boob” and when “milk” doesn’t work, he points at my chest and implores me “mama, boob, milk, boob, boob milk.” He’s not hungry nor parched - if I proffer a cup of milk or water he dramatically takes it and throws it on the floor. It’s going to be a difficult trial for both of us. M is very obstinate and already has fortified opinions. He knows what books he wants to read and in what order. He will bring them all to you and expect that you comply. M knows what he wants to wear, or rather, he know what he does not want to wear and will fiercely object if you try to put on his grey shoes, for instance, when he wants to wear the blue, vigorously shaking his head and grunting “blue, blue, blue” (to which L confirms “not the grey, ma, it’s not his favourite”).

Woe to the poor soul who dares to challenge M. Unfortunately for M, when he is most irate, he sounds very much like Donald Duck. My husband and I have had to stifle laughter when M has protested and I wonder whether his head banging, which immediately distresses us, has resulted from his recognition of our altered reaction. As I understand the positive discipline approach, it is to lead M to an area where he can bang his head without injury without providing him too much attention so that he is not encouraged to continue to do it. This makes sense but it somewhat difficult to apply. Invariably I succumb to holding him and he calms down and shoots everyone an imperious and satisfied look.  The duck has dominion.