“May I have your sippy cup? Pleeease?” She scowled
and said, “No!” Then she turned away from me and
wedged herself between her dad’s legs for protection.
I begged like a baby, “Please? Pleeeeeease? Pretty
please with sugar on top?” She protested, “No! My
cup!” I saw she was looking worried, so I backed
away, smiled, and chirped, “You say, ‘No! Go away,
Man.’ Okay, Noa … you win, you win! That’s your
sippy cup! You keep it! You keep it!”
Noa beamed and puffed out her chest. She felt like
a winner! And she felt that I had treated her with
fairness and respect. I know that because a minute
later she took my hand and introduced me to all her
dollies!
•
Be ridiculous. Say something
absurd in a sincere voice, “Want
some delicious … mud?” or “Okay, it’s dinner time.… You have
to eat your shoe!” This will make your toddler grin and feel
smart because even
he knows people don’t eat mud.
•
Be weak. Pretend a little toy is too heavy to lift.
Struggle at it,
then ask for help. Or wrestle, but let your child keep wriggling
out of
your grasp even as you boast, “I’ve got you now! You’ll
never get away!”
Is It a Bad Idea to Let Your Toddler Think
You’re a “Boob”?
Not at all. Your child knows you’re not
really weak or a baby. You’re
his ultimate hero. You’ll never lose his respect just because you goof
with him a little bit. In fact, he’ll love you even more for it.
Think of playing the boob as an ancient form of flattery (a
fundamental tool of diplomacy). It’s like buttering up the king:
“Oh,
Your Lordship, you are sooooo strong!”
