Let the dog in!

Given my grumpiness lately and Kid’s around-ness with winter break, I recently decided to check out Your Four-Year-Old: Wild and Wonderful by Louise Ames. It’s part of a child development series of books (Your One-Year-Old: The Fun-Loving, Fussy 12-To 24-Month-Old, Your Two-Year-Old: Terrible or Tender, etc.). They may be somewhat dated, but the best thing is…..they’re SHORT!

Which is crucial when you start reading after 9pm and fall asleep sometimes at the sound of a book opening.

At the time, I needed some OBJECTIVITY, or at least VALIDATION, so I turned to the books. You do this, right?

As an example of my research needs, I wanted to know if CONSTANT BADGERING is normal for this age, and there it was.

YUP.

But then, things took a turn. Possibly it was the late hour, or my tired eyes, but as I kept reading I began to wonder to WHOM this book may also apply….

p. 34, Things to Avoid:

2. Don’t fuss too much and certainly don’t worry if your boy or girl man lies, swears, and/or exaggerates. Such behaviors are almost the essence of Four-Year-Oldness. You can, and undoubtedly will, discourage and disapprove of such behaviors, but try not to worry about them.

3. In fact, try to avoid excessive “moral” judgments about your child man’s often somewhat antisocial behavior. In another year he or she may be as conventional, as docile, as conforming as you please. . . .

9. Don’t blame your child man’s playmates for behaviors in him or her that you don’t like–exhibitionism, bad language, sex play, and the like. Today it may be a neighboring child who initiates the activity. Tomorrow it may be your own man!

Either way, child or man, the point seems to be “CHILL OUT, WOMAN,” which ironically is what DH emits psychically from his eyeballs when I go off on a tear. Without any special training or research on his part.

All of which leads me to wonder if maybe Kid’s constant badgering is a learned trait?

[Note: The above quotes are DIRECT from the book, except for my obvious changes. See? These books are helpful and amusing on multiple levels.]

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