[trishb]

Calling all Moms and Dads of toddlers....


Please give me your best tips for staying PATIENT! My little boy is all boy. Tell him NO, and he smiles and does it anyway.:weird: He has one speed, and that is fast. One direction, and that is forward. Lucky I invested in a harness for him. Right now, I cannot imagine keeping up with him in WDW.

Someone once asked "how many people does it take to watch a toddler?"
The answer "all the adults present plus one"

I'm in need of a spa, massage, and hot tub!

[lisajl]

Hang in there Trish....it does get better...sort of.
LOL!

My boys are 8 and 5 and boy can they find some trouble!

But, I have something you can be thankful for...

A friend of mine has a son who is three. She and her husband have had problems, and I don't know if it has affected her son, or he was always this way.
He climbs into the washing machine and goes around and around.
He climbs into the sink and sprays water all over the place.
I ran into her at her work recently and she told me that her son said, "I am going to set a fire in the house, so it burns down."
I am sure she saw the shock on my face! I told her she needed to take care of that right away. She told me it was just a phase.
I said Gee my sons have never been through that phase!

Take heart...we have survived our two boys, life is good.
Hang in there and try to find some quiet mommy time....it does a world of good!
Lisajl

[trishb]

Thanks, Lisa!

[PhantomBantam]

Trish,

At least you are saying no.

The locking lids and click-turn caps on automobile gas tanks were made for boys like me who felt the garden hose was like the gas pump and the water I was putting in all the car's tanks were just as good as gas. My parents were more upset that I could have had chemical burns from the watered gas on my hands than the dozen or so cars I filled up at their Christmas party which turned our yard into a parking lot for a few days.

Oddly, I remember that I felt I was doing a good thing. My parents, somehow, understood my intent was not malicious.

That next day my father took the day off from work or had the day off from work or simply no way to get to work...Its a bit fuzzy now...He took me and my brother to the local Ford dealership where the owner, a victim of the gas attack himself, and the lead mechanic gave me a wondrous tour. It lasted for several hours. I met a bunch of nice people, I learned more about petroleum products and the inner workings of the internal combustion engine than I care to mention, I got very dirty, and I got very tired.

I relived the day at supper with my family. I cried when the genuine apology spewed forth from my realizations. I got my first Hess truck that year for Christmas. I was 5.

The only thing I can offer for parenting advice is this:

You may not be able to anticipate all the opportunities to educate your child but you can participate in all the opportunities you identify. Keep your wits about you, keep your eyes peeled, and carry band-aids. You'll be fine.

[trishb]

Phantom, God Bless your momma!