The No Zone

Hi!

How are you doing?

I can't hear you.

I said how are you doing???

Oh. Nope. Still can't hear you. Guess this reading thing is one-sided.

Well, I hope you're good. At minimum.

If you're not, then you just have some things to work through. It might be one thing, it might be one million. But you have to start somewhere!

Best of luck!

Parenthood is quite interesting. It's as though your kid knows when they overcome a hurdle or milestone, so things can get easier in one department, but then they make it harder in another.

Brady P. is 90% potty trained, and I am so proud of him! His sentences are flourishing. And he no longer says "Mup!" to me 1,000 times a say. Just more like 5.

If you don't remember, "Mup" is sort of his game of "gotcha!" And he really would get me. Like, every time.

He is also, for the most part, doing a really good job of staying on task to get ready for school. That's imperative. I don't wake us up with enough time to dilly dally. Just enough time to do all the things and run down to the bus.

So what's the trade off?

The "no" phase. 

Even Miss Liz, his aide as school, noticed.

"Hey, Braed, are you ready for supper/ to getting dressed/ to go out for a walk/ to see a friend/ to use the potty/ to eat your yogurt?"

"No, Mummy. I said no."

And he means it.

I have to do a lot of bribing and deal making with him. For instance, if he wants me to say yes for him to watch his iPad, then he needs to say yes to peeing on the potty first.

"No, Mummy. I say no."

"Okay, then. I say no iPad. When you show me you filled your potty up, I'll give you your iPad."

Then it goes either way. It depends on his priorities at the moment, I guess.

Liz keeps reminding me that we will get through this. We will. It just gets a bit annoying because we seriously can't go anywhere on the weekends. I mean, not even for a walk! He spent the last two Sundays in just his undies!

Now you can condemn my parenting choices for that, but I know that he just wants to have his way sometimes. He works really hard at school, on the potty, getting ready for school, reading his evening book and speaking full sentences, that I just have to give the kid a break.

I mean, that is a lot even for a normal kid. This child has to work much harder to do things that most kids do. For instance, he tries sooooo hard to get his sentences right (and out quickly) that he rolls his eyes up and stutters several times before he spits it all out. He is processing a lot.

So I will give him a few weeks of "no" (hopefully that's all!) because I am so proud of him, and he is really developing quickly in many areas. 

He just needs to feel like he is in control sometimes, and he'll get over being so negative about basic daily life. It's really not that fun, and he knows it.

But he can do what he needs to do. I mean, he's six!

Just to prove how hard he works, here is a video Miss Liz made of him during one recess. Just one! And he's on snowshoes!

If you can't see the video in the email, please find it at Downs by the Bay.

Have a great day!