Hop Dad

Little Miss Bossy

April 20, 2012 at 2:00 pm Leave a comment

My daughter will become three years old this summer. It seems like she has been two for about five years now and with her birthday looming she is packing in as much two-ness as possible in these remaining months.

Growing Bolder Every Day

As she gets older is she has become much more asserti-

“SIT RIGHT HERE DADDY SAYS PLEASE AND THANK YOU.”

“I’ll be right there, Boo…”
As I was saying, she’s becoming much more assertive and you never know when she will demand-

“NO! YOU CAN’T SIT HERE! SIT RIGHT DERE…”

…demand your attention. However, there is a fine line between letting your child express herself and allowing her to run your daily life. I can’t really tell if I have let her cross that li-

“I WANT A DOOCE BOTS SAYS PLEASE AND THANK YOU.”

“NO! I WANT THE RED ONE.”

Yep, She’s Crossed That Line

One of the marvelous moments you experience while raising a child is when you realize you just had a conversation with them. They ask, you understand and respond accordingly. Suddenly you discover what just happened: communication!

I remember the first time my daughter asked me for something by using words. It was a simple request. We were having dinner at the kitchen counter. Suddenly she pointed at a bowl of corn and said “Torn!” Without even thinking I picked up the bowl and began spooning another helping. Halfway to pouring the corn into her bowl I stopped, the realization dawning on me.

“Did you just ask me for more corn?”, I smiled to her brightly. What a special moment we’re sharing!

She blinked at me. “TORN!“

OK, so my daughter may not have relished the moment like I did. I thought it was amazing. What I didn’t know was a door had now opened in to a whole new wor-

“I WANT TO WATCH THE DOG MOVIE SAYS PLEASE AND THANK YOU.”

A whole new-

“I WANT TO WATCH THE DOG MOVIE SAYS PLEASE AND THANK YOU!”

“She’s at work. Now, I’m almost done talking with my friends, so, please give me just a minute…”

Who Am I Kidding? I Never Have Any Minutes

Watching my daughter grow up and take command of her little world is wonderful. But it comes with a heavy price to pay: she wants everything and now she knows how to ask for it. So, after being hammered daily with question after question, demand after demand, I now find myself pushing even harder for her to do things on her own. I can’t tell if that’s a mark of good parenting or I’m just being selfish.

With a newly discovered ability to make demands you never know what your child will expect from you. It might be a simple request like a blue or red dooce bots. Or in the middle of a nice, family dinner she could shock you with-

“STOP TALKING.”

Entry filed under: Being Dad. Tags: Being Dad, Children, Dad, Family, Fatherhood, Kids, Parenting.