Easier & Simpler Parenting

It's far easier to parent a baby than a preschooler, isn't it? I'm enjoying some one on one time with DS, and it struck me how much simpler it is to please a 13 month old than a 3 year old. I can play peekaboo over my newspaper and DS is happy. DD wants me to forget reading the newspaper and come and play with her and her animals or Lil People. DS likes to just sway back and forth to the music from one of his musical books. DD wants me to get up and do a full aerobic workout, finishing with chasing around the house. DS is happy with some smiles and timely diaper changes...DD wants me to celebrate and help with every visit to the potty, plus provide stickers or some other incentive for whatever other good behavior she is demonstrating. And of course, DD knows the difference between good and bad behavior, so I have to discipline her when she's naughty--something neither of us relishes but we both need.

It's a funny thing, because DD is so much more interactive in some ways, but she's also far more demanding. I suppose that is the way it always goes with parenting--just when you are really digging a particular stage, they grow some more and move on to something else! DS is figuring out how things work, including how to talk. He's still doing gibberish but occasionally comes out with a new word and we are trying to encourage more talking by repeating words he says, and saying the word for all the things we touch every day. He's figured out how to get into the dishwasher, and we are going to have to buy an oven lock because pretty soon he's going to turn around and think, I wonder if this thing works the same way... So it is stressful in some sense because he doesn't understand the whole DANGER! concept yet, and I know we will be pulling our hair out in about six months as we try to teach him what STOP means. But overall he's a pretty undemanding little dude, happy to share the same orbit that we are flying in, and along for the ride.

DD thinks that she has the right to choose the orbit, time, and speed for our lives, and is quite put out when she's told otherwise! She wants to do everything her way, NOW, and that wears on us quite a bit some days. But then she turns around and does the sweetest things, and you just think, Awwwwwww. She wanted to wrap a present the other day, and decided to pick out a DVD from our shelf, then proceeded to wrap it with DH in two layers of construction paper, complete with a construction paper bow that DH crafted. She cut out some shapes and wrote on the "tag", and then I was presented with this wonderful prize, and she couldn't wait to see me open it! ("Popeye and Friends", in case you were wondering...) She was just so pleased to be offering a present--memories from birthdays and Christmas are clearly ensconced and getting a present or surprise in the mail is a pretty big deal in her world. And there is no finer dining establishment than Red Robin--who wants Olive Garden when you can go to Red Robin? Thus is the reasoning of a three year old.

Maybe it just comes easier to me to entertain DS because I've already been there with him, whereas we are breaking new ground with DD. Any made up craft I can cobble together is a surefire hit. She would do crafts all day, every day if she could. Gluing things is a special new favorite, although her persistent creation of confetti with her scissors makes me reluctant to haul those out very often. She is just a curious little creature, a mix of the droll and capricious. Very engaging in her own way, if sometimes a pain in the butt!! And I'm sure that is the point...less me, more them. I wouldn't miss it for the world.