Going with the Flow

Chris and I often joke about who's the "push-over" parent of the day. We tend to flip-flop, alternating between saying "no" or "later" and saying "okay, but only one more time" (a common expression after the 5th request for another reading of Cars and Trucks and Things That Go at bedtime).

While we both know it's important to set rules for Lucie and Ryan, especially when it comes to safety issues, it's tricky knowing when to hold the line and when to give in. I often question myself - is this truly something I shouldn't let my two year olds do? Or, more likely, am I saying no because the request is inconvenient for me or super messy to clean up? It's usually the latter, which sure doesn't seem fair to two curious toddlers.

So, is it really that big of a deal if Lucie wants to eat frozen bacon bits for snack, Ryan wears too-big boots to the park (in 80 degree weather) or they both want to use a popsicle as an ice pack? Nope. Such requests are all an opportunity to explore new textures and tastes, appreciate cousin Maggie's hand-me-downs and come up with hilarious counting games ("1, 2, 3, 4, trade") – why say no to that?