Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Now, Later, Never

Most two-year-olds have no concept of waiting, but Aaron seems
particularly impatient. It's hard enough to decipher what he wants
since his vocabulary is limited. I guess that's what makes it all the
richer when I get what he's after, but still catch flak from him when
I can't deliver it instantly.

My favorite is at the dinner table, when he'll crab at me because I
have to take the three seconds to walk to the counter to pick up the
item he's pointing at. I guess he thinks that somehow, once he's
latched on to wanting that item, I should be able to get it to him
instantaneously; and if that's the case, three seconds is unacceptably
too long to wait.

And let's not even talk about when he wants something and not only am
I delaying in getting it to him, but I refuse to give it to him
altogether. Case in point is the bite of broccoli in my salad that he
has put in his mouth three times already and then, making a face,
handed it back to me. No matter; wild horses can't stop him from
wanting it a fourth time.

I'm neither going to kill myself trying to give him everything he
wants, nor am I going to get frustrated by his tirades. After all, we
all need to learn that we can't always have what we want, and that
even if we do get it there may be some waiting involved; and it's part
of my job as dad to hang in there with my boy until he gets that
lesson. Goodness knows I am still learning it myself, a fact I need
to remind myself of when I hear it from him and feel my blood start to
boil.

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