Week 3: Toddlers

Look at this face

He is darling, with his spitty shirt, messy hair and all, isn't he?

But don't let that sweet innocent face fool you.  Our cute son had just finished dumping the contents of my makeup bag down the stairs when I took this picture.

He has officially entered the toddler phase.

. . . .

and I don't really know what else to say about that.  But a picture is worth a thousand words, right?

Why yes that was a brand new toilet paper roll. . .

Silly parents! All of the toys and DVDs are SUPPOSED to go on the floor. . .

Caught red handed. . .yet another reason to not buy dryer sheets in bulk. . .

It has become our son's main goal in life to create chaos wherever he goes, and he takes this calling seriously.  There are books on the bookshelf that need to be pulled out, DVDs that need to be scattered,  pan lids that need to be spread across the floor, and don't forget about that cup of Cheerios and Goldfish.  When you are full and don't want to eat the remaining food on your tray, it must be flung on the floor.  And heaven forbid the heat register covers be in their holes.

I spend a large amount of time picking up after my little guy.  It can sometimes be exhausting.  And very frustrating.

Someone pointed out this week that I could (or rather should) teach my son to not empty out the cupboards and tear the house apart.  I've thought a lot about that comment, and yes, I suppose I could.  However, I have no intention of doing so yet.  Perhaps some would call me a bad mom, but I don't care.  

Before I go any further, let me make a couple things clear.  We do have rules at our house (don't play with knives, don't stand on the table, don't put things in electrical outlets, etc.) and as our son gets bigger, we will definitely have some serious talks about putting toys away and such things.  I am a big fan of disciplining your children and not letting them turn into spoiled brats who do whatever they want.  I also PROMISE I will not let my child destroy your house.

So why do I let him empty the Tupperware drawer every day?  There are two good reasons:

1.  It keeps him occupied.  If I'm in the middle of cooking dinner and our son wants to play, I am practically giddy if he can entertain himself for 10 minutes by emptying a drawer and leave me to finish dinner.

2.  It's good for him.  The most mundane things can make the most amusing toys.  Who wants to play with the firetruck that has buttons and plays music when you could get into cupboards and play with a cereal box and measuring cups?  While it may not actually be his mission to destroy everything in sight (even if it feels that way sometimes), it is his mission as a toddler to understand this world.  Everything is new, so therefore everything must be handled, must be examined, must be tasted, must be understood.  This process is important, so yes I will continue to let him explore and create a mess.

One day my house will be clean.  One day.  But the mean time we will continue to make messes, enjoy ourselves, and hopefully take some interesting pictures along the way. :)

Happy photographing!