Toddler Antics

A fleeting moment of victory

I am lucky enough to be able to spend my time with one of the most fascinating types of humans - a toddler! My little toddler is sweet and good and I love her to bits, and she gives me an endless stream of ideas to puzzle and ponder over as I observe her behavior.

Each of Molly's days is filled with constant attempts to force disobedient objects to do impossible things. Many times the offending object is an article of clothing. She recently got into a quarrel with the hood of her jacket which, try as she might, simply would not be pulled down to cover her entire face. Another favorite enemy is the doll blanket. The doll blanket insists on behaving in a most insolent manner. No matter how many times she struggles with it, it won't cover her whole body at the same time. There always seems to be a bare limb that can't be covered, thus making the ultimate goal of being "cozy" permanently out of reach. A great dream of Molly's is to exit her nightly bath elegantly enrobed in her Little Mermaid towel, with every inch of her body wrapped up, except the towel must not touch her neck, and she shouldn't have to hold it up as she walks. Every night this attempt ends in tears. The persistence with which these demands are made is something to be admired. A battle with any given object can last well over half an hour, and can be repeated day after day with no reward. I only wish that she could someday see the fruits of her labors and actually get her little sister's sock to fit on her foot. Unfortunately, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again" does not apply here. But I can see this persistence serving her quite well with more possible goals later in her life. She really does teach me a thing or two about tenacity, patience, and having high standards for yourself.