If you've ever seen Finding Nemo, there's this brilliant depiction of seagulls as single-minded birds that all fly around squaking, "Mine. Mine. Mine." My two-year-old, having learned the word from one of her friends at daycare, has made it her own. We have had to have several discussions about what is actually hers and what she is simply being allowed to use, although it still belongs to us--like an iPad, for example. We have attempted to deal with each of these episodes, and I'd like to think we have made a lot of progress. Overall, Lil' Bit does a great job sharing. This gave me great hope for a smooth transition when the Jellybean arrives. This weekend, however, it has become abundantly clear that the arrival of the Jellybean this fall is going to stir the pot when it comes to Lil' Bit's ownership issues.
It started with the cat. Lil' Bit can be happily playing across the room, or even lovingly snuggled on her daddy's lap, but if the cat should dare to hop up and snuggle in my lap, she will suddenly shriek, "No, meow! My momma!" and wave her hands wildly. Should the cat dare to ignore her, she will run over and climb into my lap, thereby forcing the cat's displacement. Once the cat had been moved, however, she will hop down, having successfully defended her territory.
Then came Easter Sunday. Baby D, an adorable one-year-old, was in the nursery and she and Lil' Bit were playing and coloring together, happily. Baby D then got up to play with the big purple ball, which she proceeded to kick across the room. I told her, "Wow! That was a great kick!" Suddenly, from across the room, Lil' Bit points her finger accusingly at me and shouts, "No. You my momma!" In other words, "Mine!" Guess we still have a lot of work left before our toddler is no longer a seagull. Fortunately, we've got a few more months to work on it.
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