Tales of a Tenacious Toddler Part 1

In just a few days, I will have a two year old on my hands and I can clearly see why this stage is referred to as the "terrible twos" based on the tantrums and the ridiculous statements that I am forced to make in response to some of the "terrible" (though still quite amusing) 

1) "No, honey, you need to eat something other than marshmallows."    

     Funny story to go along with this one:  On Wednesday, Josh was bringing me breakfast because we had returned home from a trip late on Tuesday evening and hadn't done our grocery shopping yet.  I came out to the car and he told me that he needed to check on Linnea because while he was driving, he heard rustling and he realized that she had found our snack bag and pulled out the bag of marshmallows.  He wasn't sure how big of a mess she had made, only that she had been digging in the bag.  I opened the door to investigate and she looked up at me with the biggest grin on her face and shoved several marshmallows into her mouth from the pile she had created in the carseat between her legs.  I started to collect the marshmallows and put them back in the bag, then she grabbed another handful, put them in her mouth, then helped me put the rest back in the bag.  To me this reveals the true nature of toddlerhood - both devious and sweet in the same breath.

2) "Linnea, you do not take your shirt off in public."

     I would have thought it was far too early in my daughter's life to have to have this conversation, but she has recently taken to taking off her shirt in restaurants when she gets impatient waiting for the food.  Fortunately, it is just her shirt when we are in public.  But at home, it's another story...

3) "Linnea, your crib is not a toilet."

     Okay, so maybe I've never said it QUITE like that before, but the sentiment applies.  For about 4 months now, she has been taking off her pajamas in her crib if she isn't quite ready to go to sleep yet. Well, actually, it's not just her pajamas.  She also takes off her diaper.  This is more of a problem at nap time and she has been known to be found naked in her crib four to five times before she either falls asleep or we just give up on nap time for the day.  When she first started doing this, we purchased more one piece zip up pajamas, and for a little while, this worked...  Until it didn't.  

     One day, about a month after we started putting her in one piece pajamas for nap time and bed time, we had put her down for her nap.  There was chatter for a little while, and then silence, so we though she was asleep.  About 10 minutes later, she started crying and it kept getting louder.  When I went to check on her, she was standing completely naked in the corner of her crib.   When I walked in, she looked down toward the floor, pointed and said "Uh-oh!"  Her diaper and her one piece pajamas were there on the floor.  The pajamas were still FULLY ZIPPED!  We decided that she was practicing to become a toddler escape artist and promptly scheduled her for an audition for America's Got Talent.

    Another time, a few days later, the sound was different.  There was faint crying which is usually the sound that happens before she falls asleep.  Then silence.  Then chattering, which is also usually a precursor to sleep.  Then louder chatter.  Then "YUCK!  YUCK!"  When uttered by a toddler, "Yuck" is never a good sign.  I went to check on her and here is what I saw: pajamas on the floor, diaper on the floor, naked toddler in the corner of the crib pointing to a little pile of poop next to her with one word on repeat - "Yuck!  Yuck!  Yuck!"

4) "Tampons are not food."

     Probably this one does not require any further explanation - I'll just let you imagine what happens when a toddler discovers a box of tampons under the sink while mommy is showering.

These are just a few of the crazy adventures we have experienced thus far on the train ride through Toddler Town.  I have titled this post "Part 1" because I anticipate that it will not be long before I either recall more of these crazy stories OR I live through more of them.  Either way there will more than likely be a Part 2!  

An Election Season Challenge

Growing up, I looked forward to the day that I would be able to cast my vote for president.  After all, as children we were taught that in America, every vote matters.  As early as 1988, I can remember choosing who I thought should win, though at age 9, I can't say I had any valid basis for my selection.  But somehow knowing that I would someday have a choice, I felt empowered.

Finally in 2000, I had my first chance to choose.  To make my voice heard.  And I found out that my vote meant nothing.  The election in 2000 was a circus.  Between recounts, "dimpled chads," and a conflict between electoral votes and popular vote, I discovered that the American public has little say.

I learned that no president ever keeps their word because most of what they'd LIKE to do can only be accomplished if the other side cooperates - which I've never seen in my lifetime.  I learned that the media will stir up drama wherever they can to get more viewers so it's unlikely that anybody could make a FULLY educated choice.  I learned that no matter what the voting public decides, the other side is going to spend 4 to 8 years being bitter and mean about it.  And I learned that none of it matters because God is in control and whoever is in office, He has ALLOWED to be there.

I learned all of this BEFORE the current election season even began - and this election season has confirmed everything I learned and has gone far beyond.  The debates and the conventions are no longer opportunities to learn about the candidates qualifications and experience and how they intend to use it - instead they are reality shows, filled with name-calling, cat-fights and accusations.  

We have been presented with two choices, both severely lacking in virtues that are important for those seeking to be leaders. There are certainly other candidates who are more qualified but the manuscript that we are fed on a daily basis tells us that we only have the two choices and we collectively as a nation, we eat it up.  We choose our side and belittle anybody who chooses differently.  Apparently "united we stand, divided we fall" no longer applies, because even those we select as our leaders are divided.  Even these leaders belittle the other side.

So 16 years after my first election, I am FED UP.  I am fed up with elected officials who refuse to work together.  I am fed up with people who vilify anybody who see things differently than they do.  And I am ESPECIALLY fed up with self proclaimed Christians who spew hateful words about our current president and any candidate who values different things; who are looking to a candidate who regularly spews hate to "make America great again" which is really something that only God can do.   

So, with all of that said, I would like to challenge anybody who has read this far:  If you are a Christ-follower, it is your duty to love your enemies and prayer for your leaders.  Wherever you stand on the political spectrum, I challenge you to pray for our standing president Barack Obama, for EVERY presidential candidate this election (because you have to be pretty darn gutsy to volunteer for that level of scrutiny), for every candidate serving or representing your state, and for the American public to choose wisely and to be open to consider carefully.  I challenge you to try to see every candidate through God's eyes and to consider that before posting or sharing on social media.  And I challenge you to remember, above all else, to love them all, even if you don't like them.