When it comes to negotiating with a 2-year-old (see pictures from yesterday's post), I have increasingly learned that arguing with them and insisting on my own way regarding non-essentials is simply not worth my time or effort. Two-year-olds, in general, can be very determined; this is the age of wanting to do it "all by myself" and insisting that "me a big girl" when confronted with each and every task. As parents, we work to foster increased independence and responsibility, but when coming face-to-face with it in our toddler day in and day out, it can get to be wearing. Even on tasks where my toddler actually does need my help, she will insist upon doing it all on her own accompanied by loud crying, tears, and the occasional lying down on the floor or dramatically covering her mouth while crying for emphasis. This is all part of the learning process for the 2-year-old and part of the parent practicing patience and their own teaching skills. Of course, there are many areas in which I must insist that my 2-year-old do things as requested, especially when it comes to her personal safety and well-being. But, then there are many other situations during the day where it actually really doesn't matter if she does it my way or not; it's really just a matter of opinion or sometimes even me being less embarrassed; these are what I refer to as the non-essentials. The Dora swimsuit is a prime example.
On the day that the Dora swimsuit was purchased for #2 by her Grandpa and Grandma (my parents), Livia was so excited about finding the swimsuit of her toddler dreams that she refused to take it off. As I began to take it off her and put her back into her regular clothes, she started to protest vehemently and cry loudly in the dressing room. It was at this point that I realized that it would actually be fine if she kept it on and had the tag scanned at the register while still wearing it. As funny as she may have looked, this path of less resistance was much better than the alternative (and quite hilarious as a story to tell on her in the future). She insisted upon wearing the suit for the rest of the day with whatever other clothing she was wearing and in a stroke of genius, I managed to get it off for a bit by letting her wear it in the shower first. Once the swimsuit was wet, she understood the need to take it off so that it could dry for the next day. By the following evening, the Dora suit hanging on the towel rack in the bathroom was dry and Livia spotted it while brushing her teeth before bed. It was then that she decided that putting it over her pajamas was a brilliant idea. Hence, the picture from yesterday's post came about; as soon as I saw her in this getup and saw how absolutely pleased she was with herself, I ran off to get the camera and capture the moment. In the end, the 2-year-old was happy and went to bed without complaint, I was much happier not listening to ear-piercing cries, and I was also reminded that very few things are worth battling over with a 2-year-old.
You are so wise, Karlie!!
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