Friday, November 30, 2007

Oh to be 18 months old again!

As I approach my 35th birthday next week, I've tried to put myself in Bitty Girl's shoes and think about what it would be like to be her. She spends so much time lately screeching and whining and pointing and yelling "NO!" at us, and I feel terrible that she's so frustrated. Lack of words is most of the problem, because she just can't tell us what she wants. And the other part is that she wants everything The Boy has, and that's just not possible for Miss 18-month old.

So here goes. If I were 18 months old......
1. I would rejoice when someone told me to take a nap or go to bed at 7 pm.
2. I would give as many hugs and snuggles as she does.
3. I would rule the kitchen like a queen from my highchair, commanding all my meals.
4. I would take lots of naps in the car.
5. I would still love Elmo.
6. I would love to hang upside down, make silly faces, and blow raspberries on people's tummies.
BUT....
7. I would also be very frustrated to have everyone shutting doors and locking me out of places I want to go.
8. I would be FURIOUS if they tried to distract me when I was upset by offering me some other snack or toy.
9. I would want to do everything my brother does too--it looks more fun than my stuff.
10. I would get tired of people talking about me as if I weren't there.
11. I would get sick of getting schlepped around in the car for everyone's trips to school, the store, and other errands.
12. I would get upset if they pretended to be interested in playing tea party with me, and then actually read the newspaper or tried to clean up some of my toys.
13. I would scream with protest if they made me come in from playing outside before I was done just because they were cold.
14. I would get mad and splash them if they got soap in my eyes in the bathtub.
15. I would try so hard to run and play with my older cousins, because they look like they're having so much fun.
16. I would assert my 18-month old authority and try to boss my family around.
17. I would try to make my voice heard in a family with 2 out of 3 loud people.
18. I would get tired of them telling me what to wear. I want to wear my jellyfish shirt, darn it!

We love you Bitty Girl! We are sorry that you don't have the words you need yet, and that you are at the mercy of our busy schedules sometimes. We appreciate that you are tolerant of our craziness, and that you seem to love us in spite of it!

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