Before and After
In yet another chapter of "My thoughts on parenting before/after actually becoming a parent"....
Before:
I would overhear children exclaiming over an animal but incorrectly identifying it. No biggie. But then their parents would reinforce their wrong-ness instead of correcting it. For example, at the polar bear exhibit a 3yo would say, "Look it's a doggie!" And the mom would say, "Yes, look at the cute big doggie." And it would make me absolutely nuts! Not that the parent needs to totally shoot down the kid, but couldn't they say, "It has a black nose like a doggie. He is called a polar bear!" But no, they'd all be standing there talking about the doggie, and my brain would liquify and drip slowly out my ear.
After:
Sometimes the Nugget puts his foot down and insists that x is definitely y, and he's not going have you suggest anything different. Usually, it's Monday morning and he insists loudly that Daddy is NOT at work, he IS home. When I gently remind him that although we both like when Daddy is home, Daddy goes to work on M-F and he'll be home at dinner time, he will just scream louder that DADDY. IS. HOME! He's in the shower, or he's sleeping, or he's outside. So either I can choose to keep arguing with a 3yo and let the day begin with tears and tantrums or I can play along or change the subject. So now, I can totally relate to the moms all agreeing with their kids that the polar bears are dogs. Sorry for giving you dirty looks.
Avery does the same thing. Lately she's been spelling her name correctly, then she'll say her name starts with A, I agree with her, then we'll say her friend's name and she'll say it starts with E (which it does), then she'll say, "And Avery starts with E, too!" If I correct her, she absolutely insists that her name starts with E. Eventually I just say, "Fine, you can say that, but it doesn't make it true." She doesn't like when I say that, but I have to get in the last word. :)
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