Thursday, April 17, 2008

Fodder for a Future Therapy Session

Bedtime with the boys is almost always a struggle. I gotta go potty, I need water, I need a kiss and a hug. It seems the requests are never ending some nights and I realize most are tactics to keep us in their room or to get themselves out of their room.

Last night Charlie got out of bed, ran into my room and tried to get up on my bed. I wasn’t having it. I tried to usher him back to his room, but he’s hip to me and pulled a potty request. What are you gonna do? Saying ‘no, you cannot go potty again’ doesn’t seem right.

So there he is sitting on the pot telling me ‘I need my privacy, it’s going to be stinky in here!’ After a while I force the issue because nothing’s moving, if you know what I mean, and I want to lay down DAMN IT! This potty request is trickery and I’m not gonna take it!

In I march demanding he get off the pot. So he lays it out ‘mommy, don’t you trust me to go potty by myself and go back to bed?’ WHAT? What did you say? I made him repeat himself because I was so startled by this. I didn’t realize he knew the word trust, what it meant and how to use it in perfect context. And if he knows that and I didn’t know it, what else does this kid understand? He’s probably on to me with all sorts of things. And here I thought I was flying under his 3yr old radar.

Then I just felt bad and guilty. I realized that I didn't trust him to do that and it really bothered me. So if I was going to respond honestly based on my experience with the two crazies and their bedtime shenanigans, I’d have to say ‘no, NO I don’t trust you to do that…now SHIT or get off the pot kid!’

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, there you have it! I totally think kids are on to way more then we realize! Sometimes Zoes pulls things out of who knows where and I'm thinking, "surely she's had to learn that from the playground at school, but not from home." Most of the time, I'm just in denial that it's from home!!

Holly :o)

Katie said...

That is so funny because I know exactly what you are dealing with.

Danilo Celic said...

I remember being in your kitchen about a year ago and passing out some treat to the boys and I gave Eli two pieces, and Charlie said "I want two too." I was struck that they had "figured" out that some words sounded the same but have different meanings.

Watching (and now reading) their learning journey has been the most amazing experiences I've ever had.

Joey C Johnson said...

Oh my gawd, I can't wait to tell Jory the story when I get home!

Cara said...

No, of COURSE I don't trust you to go potty and go back to bed by yourself. Unfortunately just last night I hauled my ass out of bed because NO WAY had Henry been able to do just that, and yet there he was, back in bed. He left the bathroom light on but managed to get back in bed without further incident. Huh.