Dear Toddler: Save Some Ammunition For The Teen Years. The other night, I was putting to bed Mirabel, age 3, my wonderful little angel. She was exhausted. People in the family have been sick. Were worn out. She hadnt napped. Overtired, she threw a tantrum. Daddy (me): Cmon, sweetie, you just need a good nights sleep. Mirabel (3): You dont understand me. Daddy: huh? Now shes sobbing. Mirabel: No one in the family understands me! Youre wondering: is this a cry for help? Is my daughter this distraught? I suspect not. You must understand Mirabel. She wakes up singing. She dances and prances. She hugs. She also likes language. Thats clear already. She knows what works. I pick her up, I cuddle her. She goes to sleep. Then, two nights later, were sitting at dinner. I broached the conversation. Daddy: Mirabel, you remember the other night you said that no one in the family understands you? Mirabel: Uh-huh Daddy: What did that mean? She looked at me, then said: No one in the family KNOWS me. Wow, I thought. Pretty good understanding. And I wondered: does she really feel misunderstood. Daddy: Sweetie, I know you. I understand all the things you like, like the color pink, and chocolate, and your lovie, and playing dressup... (and I went on and on) Mirabel took it all in. Daddy: See. I understand you. Mirabel buried her head in my shoulder and said: Just cuddle me. Every word of this is verbatim. I tell you, Im in deeply over my head. I try to understand. I really do. And, in the end, they just give up and ask for a cuddle. That much, at least, I can do.
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 20:49:53 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015