In the Name of Safety

For some reason I woke up this morning at the beautiful hour of 8:00am (thank you Isa) to the following thought: Safety. I don't really know why I was thinking about this, sure, Isa has had some safety training, but most of the lessons on safety have had to do with potential hazards around the house...you know, the usual ones. Don't jump on the bed. Don't stand on chairs. Be careful with drawers. Don't bother the cat.

When it comes to street safety, the only one she truly grasps is that she must hold my hand or the stroller before she crosses the street. She hates doing it but she has NO choice in the matter and so she has given up fighting with me on it. Well the other day, a good friend told me that she has taught her daughter to only answer to a special name when in public. This means is that she is only allowed to go with people who call her by her special name when in public, a name that only family members and special friends are privy to.

I thought it was a great idea and started thinking of the special name that we could use with Isa. I have come up with many possibilities but they all sound strange when said out loud, specially since I only think of her as Isa or her other cutesy names that I have for her which I cannot ask my family and friends to say in public.

And so, I have yet to implement this, though I don't worry too much as my daughter does not even answer to her own name as it is, even from me. Though it does concern me that she will answer to ice scream. Maybe there is another safely lesson that takes priority...don't take candy from strangers. This will be a hard one.

My Petit Litigator

I recently read a a short chapter from the new book Toddlers Gone Wild! by Rebecca Eckler, where she talks about what a poor litigator her child is. Isa on the other hand is a great litigator, in fact she has learned to negotiate her way into getting more time than we anticipated.

A typical negotiation with her goes something like this:

Me: Isa, it's time to ....(insert activity, ie. change diaper, eat, go home, have bath)

Isa: FIVE MINUT (holds out hand while shouting)

Me: Ok, five minutes
(wait anywhere from 3 to 10 minutes, depending on what I have going on and how in a hurry I am)

Me: Isa, five minutes are up. It's time to...

Isa: TWO MINUT ( again holds out hand with two chubby fingers sticking out)

Me: One minute!

Isa: ok, mama. (point goes to Isa)

After these negotiations she is very responsive, I think that she feels like she got her way and is very proud of herself, which we all know she has.

All this success at the negotiating table has encouraged her to pull out the 5 minute card again on us. Sometimes she gets away with it and sometimes we catch it in time, it all depends on how on the ball the mother is.

FYI Friday

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