Quote of the Day (Anna)

You know how toddlers often hide behind their parents knees when they're talking to someone and refuse to answer any questions? And you know how adults tend to say something like "Are you feeling shy today?"

Well, today at the bus stop, someone started telling Emma how cute she was. She hid behind me and didn't say anything, then peered out and boldy explained matter-of-factly, "I feeling a bit shy today."

Essential skills of parenthood (Anna)

Trying to help a toddler contain a dripping icecream without leading her to believe that you are trying to steal her cone.

In other news, Emma has decided to rename us. Apparently, the monikers Mumma and Mummy no longer suffice. Our new names? I'm Pee-pee and Caroline is Poo-poo.

Essential skills of childhood (Anna)

I spent the evening teaching Emma to go down a waterslide.

The lifeguard warned us that toddlers often find the slides difficult - they expect the slide to be the same as the ones in a park. Because a waterslide is so slippery, kids, and especially toddlers, typically lean back too far and fall backwards, hitting their heads. So even when kids are used to 10 feet high slides at the park, even the smallest ones at the pool are apparently a nightmare for the lifeguards.

So I taught Emma to lean right forward and reach her arms out to me. She was tentative at first (or maybe that was me - who wants their kid to hit their head on the side of the pool?) but she figured it out really quickly and we had a great time, with much "swooping" "wheeing" and giggling. Not a bad way to spend a summer evening. I always respect the way she's up for a challenge and willing to take risks to do things even when she finds them scary.

Then we went for a 25 block walk at sunset (with her in the stroller). I don't see the sunset as much as I'd like these days since it's usually past E's bedtime (in summer, at least, when there's actually a sunset to see), so it was nice to be out at that time on such a lovely summer evening while the mountains glowed orange.

On the way, we discovered a housing developer with a interesting marketing concept. The new development is called "Karma". Its neighbours?...a cemetary and a funeral home! Someone has a an unusual sense of humour. (I can't decide if it will be very popular, and people will be dying to buy into it, or if the opposite will be true, and people won't be caught dead there...:)

Stinky Mumma (Anna)

Sometimes having a highly articulate toddler can be a little vexing.

"Mumma. What you been eating? You been eating something. You a bit stinky. Go away from me. I don't like your stinky. And I don't want to be stinky too....I love you, stinky Mumma"

In other news, tomorrow Emmy is going on a "transport field trip" - going on a bus, a train and a seabus as well as visiting the airport to watch the planes. Problem is, she's used to actually getting on a plane when she goes to the airport - or at least meeing someone - and I'm not sure she's completely understood that she's not going anywhere.

Free! (Anna)

Oh the joys of having a toddler who can open a locked door by herself (and isn't afraid to do so)...leaving you in a swimming pool change cubicle half naked while she races off gleefully down the aisle away from you.

Quote of the day (Anna)

Caroline was holding Emmy upside down and tickling her.

Emma: [giggling hysterically] Stop!!...Do it again!!...Stop!...Again?

Where do they pick up these things? (Anna)

Another parenting challenge I never anticipated. My two year old being the victim of extortion...from a pet dragon.

[Emma running into the bedroom] "Mumma. Mumma. Scared. Scared." [leaps into my arms]...There's a dragon. It scaring me."

When she had calmed down a little bit, she starting scavenging through the drawers where we keep our losoe change.

"What are you looking for?" I asked.

"Money. I need to give monies to the dragon so he won't scare me."

Apparently, it worked. Having been paid the protection money, the dragon apparently DID stop scaring Emma. So much so that he gave Emma a ride on his back, and then happily came on the bus with us. (On Vancouver buses, apparently you can transport an adult, a toddler AND a pet dragon for the cost of one ticket! Deal!)

I think sometimes it's best not to psycho-analyse toddlers too much, or we might conclude that we have inadvertently taught her that fear is unnecessary if you've got the money to keep it at bay. Or something. (Also I must confess, I did ask her if anyone in her life apart from the Dragon has been asking her for money, to which the answer was, thankfully, no. I might be old-fashioned but I do think that two is a little young for kids to have to pay protection money in the schoolyard...)

By the way, are dragons always male? I just realised that I've never read a single kids' story about a female dragon.