Word.

Bet you thought I was going to blog about MS Office Word, huh?
Not on your life!

It's amazing to me how much impact certain words have especially when spoken by your offspring.

Specifically, this word is 'no.'

Let's take a moment to celebrate the meltdown, shall we?

BEFORE



That would be a picture of my son covered in spaghetti sauce. Just so you know, no clothing was harmed in the making if this photo. Yes, I've learned my lesson for the most part when it comes to messy food is to make sure he isn't wearing any clothing at the time of consumption and that the food time is stacked closer to bath time so we can hose him down.

I'm not sure what this meltdown was all about, but it looks so funny I had to share it along with the AFTER photo too.



Lucian has learned a new word, much to my disappointment. He has learned to say 'no' to just about everything now. I don't know why, but for some reason, I have adopted this snotty parent perspective that I would really be proud of myself if my kid wasn't one of those kids who just says no to everything. I try so hard to refrain from using the word no all the time. I say instead things like, "please don't" or "stop" or I just redirect him from the annoying thing he's doing. I really just don't want him to say no no no no no all the time because whenever I've seen other kids do that in public I just can't help but think to myself, that kid is a spoiled little brat and he's maladjusted because his mother keeps yelling no at him instead of feeding him some more positive energy.

Ok, and just who in the hell am I kidding here?
Lately, it's been a bit of a struggle as he is gaining more independence over me.

I know other seasoned parents are laughing at me and I know it only gets better when instead of dreading him saying no all the time, I'll be looking for places to hide when he starts cussing like a sailor. Lord knows I don't have the cleanest mouth, but I am a hell of a lot more aware of it now. Damn skippy!

Thanks to the First Amendment and blogger, I can relax sometimes from feeling like a friggin Sunday School teacher all the time. Not that there is anything wrong with Sunday School Teachers.

I'm really trying hard to not take it personally. When I ask him "Do you love me" he says "No." It hurts my feelings just a tiny bit, but I know he doesn't mean it. Just to make sure, I play the game of trying to trick him into saying "yes" to something.

So I ask him something I know he'll likely say yes to:

Me: "Lucian, do you want to go outside and play?"
Lucian: He shakes his head and says "Nooo."

Me: "Do you want me to hang you upside down by your toenails?"
Lucian: "Nooo."

Me: "Do you like to eat cheese?"
Lucian: "Nooo."

Me: "Do you love me?"
Lucian: "Nooo."

Me: "Do you love Daddy?"

Lucian: nods his head up and down and smiles

Me: "ok, just checking."