Independence is Annoying

Here's a little piece of advice for those of you just starting on the parenting journey, and looking forward to the joy of sharing new experiences with your baby, of watching her learn how to do new things. DON'T RUSH IT.

Independence in a toddler can be a frustrating and annoying reality.

Tried to have a nice time tonight with the girls. I had a mountain of dishes to wash from the minestrone soup I made for dinner multiplied by all of the lunch and snack dishes undone all day. And I thought it would be fun to put on some dancin' music and rock out with my daughters while gettin' busy with the suds. A few weeks ago, I taught Elizabeth how to use the remote control to the radio/CD player in the kitchen, thinking it was so cute how she could make the thing work on her own. The chickens came home to roost tonight, though, and made a mess all over my dance party.

We were having a nice time, but then she decided she needed "some animals" and she put the music on pause. Which made me pause. Knowing her as I do, I thought to myself, "this is not going to end here." I was right. A few more bars of music, and now she needed her blanket. Music: pause. Blanket: retrieved. Music: play.

Dance Dance Dance.

Music: pause. "I need something!" Music: play.

Dance Dance Dance.

Music: pause. "Now I need yadda yadda yadda." (can't hear her as she is headed the other direction in search of some stupid toy or something.) Music: play.

She repeated this about 20 or 30 times. I stopped dancing. I stopped caring. I just washed the damn dishes and listened to little feet pounding back and forth retrieving multiple items I had heretofore not known were necessary for kitchen-dance-parties.

Parenting could be so much fun if it weren't for the children, and those pesky little minds of their own.

Even the best of music is untolerable if it starts and stops like the family VW van during my first few driving lessons.

A------------NOY-------------ING.