I've been amazed this week at how well some of the tried and true parenting techniques are. I am talking about distraction and misdirection. Thomas is now well into the stage of understanding that he can make choices. So, I give him choices to distract him from what he really wants. For example, bedtime has become a time when Thomas thinks he gets to negotiate. So, I let him. Tonight I asked, "do you want a song or do you want to go right to sleep?" (I'll let you guess what he chose.) I find myself shocked that this works with him and makes him happy at the same time.
We've also started having night time chats. They are interesting because I get to hear the day from his perspective - it mostly revolves around how he likes to go to the park or stomp in puddles. I'm hoping we will have these chats for many years to come.
Charlotte is not quite so far along in the choosing category. Mostly she just wants to do what she wants to do. She has definitely discovered her will. She is still the sweet, smart girl that she always was, just not as pliable as she used to be. She is gaining quite a bit of vocabulary and quite a bit of teeth.
Writing all of this has made me really look forward to the weekend. I love that we get 2 days to hang out together as a family. Counting the hours.
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