Mommy Better Recognize

R.J. is two and a half. And, as a two and a half year old, he has an opinion. Actually, he has a lot of opinions. And special requests:  "I wanna some pasta!" (instead of chicken).  "That too hot!" (when he doesn't want to take a bath). "I'm sick. I throw up." (when he doesn't want to sleep).  "I needa My-li-con." (again, when he doesn't want to sleep).  "You have fruit snacks for me?" (when he's testing my mothering skills). "You have crackers for me?" (when I've failed the fruit snack test).

Long before he could talk, or even sit up for that matter, I made a conscious recognition that he's a little person with real person needs. Crying? He must have something to cry about--cold, wet, hungry, irritated. His first nanny would tell me, "He's a little irritated today." Not, "He's cranky today." But, "he's irritated." As though he'd spent all day in an office with a constant ringing phone and hallway chatter chiseling at his patience. 

Now, I recognize that he's a two and a half year old little person. I tell him, "Patience is a virtue, particularly when you're two." When I get impatient, I hear that little voice singing "Patience, have patience, don't be in such a hurry, patience, have patience, right now. When you get impatient, you only start to worry, patience, have patience, right now." It's not a voice in my head. R.J. actually sings this to me in freezing parking lots as I wait in the cold for him to climb into his car seat. 

Last week, I had to make a choice: monkey 'jammies that made me smile at memories of my little guy in his newborn sleeper, or 'jammies with cars. and trucks. fire engines. Things that did not delight my heart and make me say "awwwww." 

But, I recognize that he is a person with real person opinions.  I picked out and wore the same pink polo shirt for school pictures three years in a row--to my mother's dismay. And so, I made the choice I felt my little boy would want. He falls asleep to his own voice, "Wheenew! Wheeenew!" Fire engines. Cars. Trucks. 

A delighted toddler who has his opinion recognized: 

But, I still remember that he is two. So, Mommy still gets her way sometimes too--because striped feetie 'jams make my heart smile (almost as much as a little boy racing fire trucks):