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Corruption
Despite all of the kid-drama I’ve dealt with thus far with Brogan, one thing I’ve held my hat on is the fact that he and Beckett actually get along. Sure, they chase each other around and fight over toys, but you can tell that they really like each other. But recently, Brogan has begun to exploit Beckett’s admiration… and it would seem that our oldest has found a little recruit to help execute his mischievous efforts. In short, we have entered the corruption phase. Brogan spent a considerable amount of time this weekend “calming down” in a chair in the living room. And since he was physically unable to assault…
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Leading by Example
When I picked Brogan up from the sitter’s today, he was in one of those moods. He was running all over the house, talking (obnoxiously and intentionally) loud while the sitter was taking an important call, picking on Beckett (like, literally trying to pick his nose), and not listening to anything I asked of him. And then it was time to make it to the car. Now this daily ritual is always a fun one. Beckett demands to “walk!” (one of his new words), he screams when you put in him his car seat because he wants to turn on the overhead “light!” (another new word). Then he wants to…
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Things I never thought I’d say
Becoming a parent means you subject yourself to new experiences – new joys, new challenges. You often find yourself in situations you could have never, ever fathomed. And in these situations, there are things that come out of your mouth that are just crazy. Brogan has put me through the wringer over the past two weeks… which makes for some serious stress on the home-front, but hey, it gives me something to write about! (Although in all seriousness, these are not all things I’m happy to be writing about!) So here are the things my three-and-a-half year old has caused me to say as he’s been testing boundaries, pushing the…
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Choices
As I was tucking Brogan into bed tonight, we were talking about his day. I was using the whole “bad news sandwich” technique… you know, the one where you start and end with something good, but the middle is where the ugly stuff comes out. Well, as I started in on some of the good decisions he made today… “Buddy, today you made some good choices, like when you picked up toys, when you put away your dirty clothes and…” He cut me off. “Not really,” he said. “Not really?” I asked… “I didn’t really make good choices in the bath, or when I was in your bed, or when…
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Oh Santa, why aren’t you here year-round?
This is the first year that Brogan really gets the concept of Santa. He knows that Santa brings presents to good boys and girls and being the self-aware toddler that he is, knows that where he lies on that “naughty and nice” spectrum is a little questionable. If you’ve read any of my kid-related posts, you know that it’s been a struggle to find this child’s currency. And while I’m happy to report that our recent shift in focus on the positive and rewards versus punishment has shown us some improvement, there is nothing, I repeat, nothing that gets my little misbehaver to mind like the mention of Santa. Now…
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The Email from School
The email from school… similar to the call from school – the heart drop that follows seeing the school’s name on the caller ID – it’s not what a parent wants to see in their inbox. So today’s email from Brogan’s preschool director went something like this… I told Brogan I was going to email you to let you know about his behavior today walking to and from the library. He was refusing to acknowledge whether or not he heard us talking to him, calling his name, etc. On the way back he was walking across an area closer to the road so I called his name to stop. He…
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Why I’m Not the Soccer Mom I Hoped I’d Be
Soccer mom – it’s what a lot of us strive to be – myself included. Ever since I found out there was tot soccer in our area, and Brogan expressed an interest in playing, I was pumped to get this title. I didn’t have great expectations for this 6-week “season.” I knew there would not be any real games, just “sessions” where the kids play, run and kick around a soccer ball. I was happy to ease into it all and thrilled to see Brogan in what I thought would be his element. But what being a soccer mom has meant for me is embarrassment and shame. Trying to deal…
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Battle Wounds and a Mom’s Intuition
Ever get that feeling that things have been a little too easy, like it’s the calm before the storm and any second things are about to go crazy? Yep, I had that feeling yesterday. We went to Chattanooga for the weekend to visit my cousin and her two little boys who were just adopted from Uganda. After church we decided to go to the Chattanooga Market to check out the car show and eat at the food trucks. There were a lot of people, it was nearly 90 degrees and what had to be nearly 90% humidity (aka way too hot) and it was a bit chaotic. Totally my scene…
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Dining Out with Kids is Rarely a Good Idea
It’s the same question every time… why, oh why, did I think it was a good idea to go out to eat with the kids? It’s like I periodically develop amnesia when I suggest we go out to eat, forgetting what little monsters they were last time. They each have their vices – Brogan can’t sit still to save his life and he needs to be the center of attention. Beckett screams at the top of his lungs any time he doesn’t get his way. Looking back on my childhood, there was probably a 5-year stretch where my mom rarely took my two brothers and me to a restaurant. She…
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Never!
Before I had kids I had this romanticized vision of what raising them would be like. Sure, I knew they wouldn’t listen at times, and perhaps there would be some back talking. I am the oldest of four children and as I recall, we didn’t always behave. But I figured I had years before this would be an issue. What I didn’t account for was that at 2, my little guy would have a very strong opinion about most things and be willing to go down in flames (aka time out) for what he believes. What I certainly could not have imagined was that his go-to response when asked to…
