- Begin preparations roughly two hours before departure to ease your toddler into the idea of getting dressed.
- Present the clothing options enthusiastically, making the process sound enjoyable.
- Your toddler may suddenly recall their fondness for hide and seek.
- Incorporate Love and Logic by offering your toddler a choice: come to you to get dressed nicely or have you come to them for a less pleasant dressing experience.
- Acknowledge that generating appropriate choices for Love and Logic training is challenging.
- Your toddler may remember a colorful band-aid their sibling received weeks ago.
- They embark on a frantic search for any potential “owie.”
- After squeezing their finger, they discover a minor redness.
- Your toddler proclaims a need for a rainbow band-aid on their “injured” finger.
- You remind yourself of your commitment to being a “reasonable parent” with “firm boundaries,” stating, “You don’t need a band-aid right now.”
- The Rainbow Band-aid Campaign begins, characterized by loud, persistent, and convincing arguments.
- You may feel your energy diminish as the campaign continues.
- Your boundaries may begin to erode.
- Moments later, your toddler emerges from the bathroom adorned with 15 band-aids on various body parts.
- You convince yourself this is a charming display of independence.
- Your toddler then decides they are a puppy and starts barking.
- With excitement, you remember that puppies can be obedient and ask your “puppy” to get dressed.
- Enthralled by the puppy game, your toddler nearly completes dressing before they complain about their shirt being too heavy.
- They begin removing all their clothes instead.
- A wrestling match ensues, leaving both of you in tears as you attempt to get them dressed.
- With your bag packed, you make your way towards the stairs.
- You recall that your toddler has recently expressed a dislike for being carried on the stairs.
- Upon reaching the top, your toddler suddenly declares their legs no longer work.
- With tears flowing due to not being carried, you reluctantly pick them up.
- Your toddler recalls their love for ice cream and Grandma, requesting both immediately.
- You patiently explain that ice cream isn’t breakfast and that Grandma lives far away.
- In response, your toddler angrily declares you are in big trouble and that you will be put in time out.
- Despite feeling a bit intimidated, you remind yourself that you have only five minutes left to reach the car and that two-year-olds shouldn’t instill fear in adults.
- As you attempt to carry them down the stairs, your toddler suddenly feels that being in your arms is like being stabbed by independence-killing knives.
- They ultimately decide to walk to the car independently, albeit indignantly.
- Your toddler insists on climbing into the car by themselves.
- The car being muddy necessitates you to pick up your screaming, thrashing toddler and strap them into their car seat while dodging their flailing limbs.
- By the time you settle into the driver’s seat, the crying has ceased.
- Your toddler now believes they are a Baby Mermaid, demanding compliments about their cuteness and shiny tail.
- A new query emerges: how do cats function?
- They express that the sunlight streaming through the window is blinding them.
- Your toddler then requests that you sing “The Wheels on The Bus.”
- As you begin to sing, they demand you stop, clearly dissatisfied and very angry.
- You rest your head on the steering wheel, feeling the strain on your parental psyche.
- After a journey filled with challenges, you finally find yourself in the car with your toddler, feeling as though you’ve conquered insurmountable obstacles.
In summary, getting your toddler into the car can be a complex endeavor involving creativity, patience, and negotiation. For more insights into parenting challenges, consider exploring resources such as this blog post on home insemination, and if you’re navigating fertility journeys, Make a Mom offers valuable information. For further support regarding pregnancy and home insemination, Drugs.com is an excellent resource.