Sunday, January 06, 2008

But I thought I had more time!!!

Charlotte has a new favorite word. That word is "no." This is her standard response, even when she actually wants something, a time when the answer for most people would be "yes," or "sure," or even "hey, why not!" A typical conversation:

Mama: Charlotte, are you hungry? Do you want some mac-n-cheese?
Charlotte: No!
Mama: Are you sure?
Charlotte: No! No (less certain now). No no no (melting down, waving arms around wildly).
Mama: Uh, okay, let's get you some food.
Charlotte: (while running to the high chair) No! No no no!

Or this one:

Mama: Hey, Char-char, let's take a bath*!
Charlotte: No! No bath.
Mama: Yep, it's bath time. We can play with your cups!
Charlotte: (while climbing the stairs to get to the bathroom) No! NO CUPS!

I know this is normal. But what I don't understand is, I thought it was normal for a two-year-old. You know, two? When demonic little imps take over the once-angelic form of your child, and you're left with a quivering wreck of a toddler who can't tell you what she wants but can only emphasize that what you're offering is definitely NOT IT.

The thing is, Charlotte is 18 months old. A year and a half! That's not two, imps! Leave her alone!

*By which I mean, "You take a bath." I don't get in there with her or anything.

1 comment:

Lori Insley said...

Sorry to say the word "no" just becomes a part of life for a long time, and they have no idea what they are saying no to.....and then about the time you want them to "just say NO" they THINK about saying yes.....our greatest fear!!! :-)