Sometimes there's a lot of chaos around here. "No!" is what you're thinking, I'm sure. Two kids under 3, a dog, small condo, two adults, what could go wrong? But I assure you there are long moments of quiet. Sometimes it is downright peaceful--though I would never use the word calm.
Why is that things tend to happen all at once? The dog acts up at the same time the toddler acts up. Even Leda is getting in on the fussy action the last couple days. Sometimes it gets confusing.
"Eh, eh!" started off as a noise for the dog. Pretty much the same command as "leave it" for those of you who have trained dogs. If she does well she gets a "good girl."
When Cole does something that I've asked I've been trying to give him a big "thank you" to both praise him and teach good manners. And it's working because he has picked up on it and says thank you sometimes.
But then there are the moments where I find myself "eh eh" to the kids. Or I "good boy" my son in the same voice I use for the dog. Sometimes there is a general pack in the center of the room and heads turn because nobody is sure who I'm upset with or why.
I always used to wonder about my grandmother calling me by my father's name or people who can't get their kids names right. But I'm here to say that your parent brain is different than your non-parent brain. I can't explain it, it just runs differently after you have kids. Things have a different priority--and keeping names straight isn't one of them. Same goes with getting a command to the correct species. At the time, the most important thing seems to be to get the behavior to stop rather than call things properly.
We've both even gotten the human genders wrong. And certain words that you would think are gender-specific have become general words for animal or human. It's all mixed up when there is a pile of Cheerios on the floor with a pushy dog, a toddler with a spoon, and a baby crying. And this is how you know I'm a second time parent--I used to think when my daughter was first born that she should get first attention being little.
What I'm actually finding, however, is that sometimes it is easier to let her cry (sorry, sweetie) because she's easily taken care of compared to my son who requires a conversation, fight, snuggle, snack, bottle, and various comfort items before he's satisfied. I'm sure she'll need counseling at some point for this. Though he's actually been very nice lately about running to her when she cries. He wants to help--mostly putting her pacifier in her mouth in a semi-aggressive way.
He seems to have some intuitive vision for the needs of others...just this morning we were cuddling in the chair watching cartoons and I asked if I could go get coffee. He smiled, nodded, and went to sit on the floor without a beat. I asked if needed some cereal but he shook his head. Nope, just go get your stuff dad and get back here.
Why is that things tend to happen all at once? The dog acts up at the same time the toddler acts up. Even Leda is getting in on the fussy action the last couple days. Sometimes it gets confusing.
"Eh, eh!" started off as a noise for the dog. Pretty much the same command as "leave it" for those of you who have trained dogs. If she does well she gets a "good girl."
When Cole does something that I've asked I've been trying to give him a big "thank you" to both praise him and teach good manners. And it's working because he has picked up on it and says thank you sometimes.
But then there are the moments where I find myself "eh eh" to the kids. Or I "good boy" my son in the same voice I use for the dog. Sometimes there is a general pack in the center of the room and heads turn because nobody is sure who I'm upset with or why.
I always used to wonder about my grandmother calling me by my father's name or people who can't get their kids names right. But I'm here to say that your parent brain is different than your non-parent brain. I can't explain it, it just runs differently after you have kids. Things have a different priority--and keeping names straight isn't one of them. Same goes with getting a command to the correct species. At the time, the most important thing seems to be to get the behavior to stop rather than call things properly.
We've both even gotten the human genders wrong. And certain words that you would think are gender-specific have become general words for animal or human. It's all mixed up when there is a pile of Cheerios on the floor with a pushy dog, a toddler with a spoon, and a baby crying. And this is how you know I'm a second time parent--I used to think when my daughter was first born that she should get first attention being little.
What I'm actually finding, however, is that sometimes it is easier to let her cry (sorry, sweetie) because she's easily taken care of compared to my son who requires a conversation, fight, snuggle, snack, bottle, and various comfort items before he's satisfied. I'm sure she'll need counseling at some point for this. Though he's actually been very nice lately about running to her when she cries. He wants to help--mostly putting her pacifier in her mouth in a semi-aggressive way.
He seems to have some intuitive vision for the needs of others...just this morning we were cuddling in the chair watching cartoons and I asked if I could go get coffee. He smiled, nodded, and went to sit on the floor without a beat. I asked if needed some cereal but he shook his head. Nope, just go get your stuff dad and get back here.