Jasmine is trying, really. She loves going to the potty, and especially getting everyone to applaud when she uses the toilet instead of her diaper. But it's a work in progress.
Today she was watching a show when I heard her pulling off her clothes. This is the signal for potty time (or maybe a costume change, especially if she goes running for her bedroom instead of the toilet). I encouraged her and helped her to the bathroom, got the special seat in place and sat her down.
Then, nothing. It's not performance anxiety. Sometimes she needs a minute, but generally she's quick to go when she really needs to.
"Are you going potty?" I asked in that tone of breathless anticipation parents use when dreaming of a diaper-free life.
No response. "Jasmine, are you going to pee in the toilet?"
Still quiet. We stayed there, her poised on the throne, me looking encouraging, I hope.
"Jasmine, is pee-pee going to come out?"
She looked up at me a little sadly. "No, pee-pee is at home."
Monday, August 18, 2008
Friday, August 8, 2008
Parental Disabilities
There are several disabilities that are unique to care-giving. I think we should lobby for equal coverage under the law. Some examples:
Shepherd's Crook Neck: caused by constantly swiveling your head when trying to keep track of multiple children in a busy playground or store.
Baby-Bounce Knee: from bouncing the fuss out of infants night after night.
Joiner Elbow: caused the first time a parent tries to lay down on the floor the way a kid does to watch TV. Sometimes fatal.
Tug-Along Shoulder: trauma of the joints due to constantly having one arm swept back while walking, due to holding hands with a child who wants to examine every pebble, twig and bug on the path.
Lullaby Back: walking and swaying, the classic cure for all ills, turns into a pain in the lumbar with even the tiniest infant, when it's done night after night.
Fisher Price Ankle: when all those active, engaging toys conspire to trap a parent's foot, often while trying to sneak out of a bedroom in the dark.
Shushed-out Throat: soreness or loss of voice due to trying to get a child to be quiet, following months of trying to get them to talk.
Angelic Moment Heart: the palpitations induced by that one bit of sweetness which causes a parent to forget the other ailments, temporarily.
I think we should move for federal coverage of the above and other maladies, in parallel with the ADA and other legislation. Afflicted parents should be given tax breaks for massages, subsidized baby sitting and a mandatory ten minutes of quiet after dinner.
Shepherd's Crook Neck: caused by constantly swiveling your head when trying to keep track of multiple children in a busy playground or store.
Baby-Bounce Knee: from bouncing the fuss out of infants night after night.
Joiner Elbow: caused the first time a parent tries to lay down on the floor the way a kid does to watch TV. Sometimes fatal.
Tug-Along Shoulder: trauma of the joints due to constantly having one arm swept back while walking, due to holding hands with a child who wants to examine every pebble, twig and bug on the path.
Lullaby Back: walking and swaying, the classic cure for all ills, turns into a pain in the lumbar with even the tiniest infant, when it's done night after night.
Fisher Price Ankle: when all those active, engaging toys conspire to trap a parent's foot, often while trying to sneak out of a bedroom in the dark.
Shushed-out Throat: soreness or loss of voice due to trying to get a child to be quiet, following months of trying to get them to talk.
Angelic Moment Heart: the palpitations induced by that one bit of sweetness which causes a parent to forget the other ailments, temporarily.
I think we should move for federal coverage of the above and other maladies, in parallel with the ADA and other legislation. Afflicted parents should be given tax breaks for massages, subsidized baby sitting and a mandatory ten minutes of quiet after dinner.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Goodness
Jasmine and I were at the grocery store, some while back. She was riding in the kiddie seat, her back to the aisle we roamed.
Perhaps I was talking to her, or otherwise distracted from my driving. I ran the cart into a pole quite suddenly with a good, metallic crash, startling us both. "My goodness!" I said to her, and smiled over our mutual start.
Jasmine was (and is) a parrot for short expressions and emphatic words. "My goodness!" she repeated. I turned the cart and maneuvered us around the pole, pointing it out as I went by. "That's what I crashed into," I explained to her, and she reached over to touch it curiously, then sat back again.
"Bye bye, goodness," she said as pole receded from view.
Perhaps I was talking to her, or otherwise distracted from my driving. I ran the cart into a pole quite suddenly with a good, metallic crash, startling us both. "My goodness!" I said to her, and smiled over our mutual start.
Jasmine was (and is) a parrot for short expressions and emphatic words. "My goodness!" she repeated. I turned the cart and maneuvered us around the pole, pointing it out as I went by. "That's what I crashed into," I explained to her, and she reached over to touch it curiously, then sat back again.
"Bye bye, goodness," she said as pole receded from view.
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