Parenting

At some point during your tenure as a parent, you're bound to see yourself in your children ... the good, the bad, and definitely the ugly.  And while you hope that what you see is a reflection of all your positive attributes, the fact is that sometimes you realize why your own parents probably wanted to send you to the zoo.  Or developed pre-mature gray hairs.

Case in point tonight.  Owen's new favorite word is "but ...", followed of course by a pause and a long-winded explanation of why he absolutely cannot stop what he is doing to follow the instructions I am providing.  Tonight, as I was putting him to bed, I mentioned that it was time for lights out and for him to start settling down.  He retorted quickly with a "but ..." and the stern look on my face made him stop mid sentence.  Then I saw it - the shift - the realization that he had found my button.  "But. But. But. But. But. But. But."  {evil ear-to-ear grin}  I laughed in spite of myself as I witnessed a reflection of me, at various ages in my life, talking back to my mom just to get her goat, smiling as I did it cause I knew I was egging her on.  I saw a tiny little glimpse into the next 15 years ...

And just another cute quip:  Owen's new game is to wipe off all the kisses I give him.  So tonight I gave him kisses.  He wipes off.   Repeat.  I took my hand and held it over the kiss I put on his cheek.  His response:  "Mommy.  We keep our hands and our feet to ourselves."

Classic.