Maddie noticed a couple on the side of the road walking their three dogs.
Maddie: Look at the puppies. I love puppies. Awwwww.
Me: I like puppies too. Who doesn’t like puppies?
Maddie: Aunt Pilly. She doesn’t like puppies or dogs. Some people don’t like them and Pilly doesn’t like them. Uncle Jason? Does he like puppies?
Me: I am not sure but I think he does.
Maddie: Aunt Pilly doesn’t so probably Uncle Jason doesn’t like puppies.
Maddie: Do you like the word Bee-Bee?
Me: Bee-Bee? What does it mean?
Maddie: Bee-Bee. It is a word.
Me: I don’t think that is a word Maddie. Where did you hear it?
Maddie: I heard it here Mom. I just learned it up.
Me: Oh, well I am glad you are learning up opposed to learning down.
Maddie: Huh?
Me: Never mind. Just keep learning things up because it is pretty darn cute.
Maddie: Bee-Bee is a funny word. It’s weird and kind of silly. And I learned it up!
Maddie walked into the bathroom yesterday while I was getting dressed. She had a disgusted look on her face. I should know better than to ask her what is wrong because she is not afraid to tell me exactly what is on her mind. This may very well be the last time I ask that question as it is slowly killing my self confidence. I have never been one to worry about my looks too much but having a child has change the way I think. I think a lot about my actions and questioning whether I would be proud of her if she made the same decisions that I make in everyday life. I am not always pleased with my answer but I do believe I am a better person because of her. According to Maddie I could use a little work.
Maddie: (Walks in while I am dressing, doesn’t look pleased)
Me: What’s wrong?
Maddie: Put your clothes on! I don’t like it when you are naked. Yucky!
Me: Well that is not very nice. I didn’t ask you to come into the bathroom. You can leave if you would like.
Maddie: Well, I like you with your clothes on and your hair looks nice.
Me: (Slipping my shirt over my head) Thank you . That was…
Maddie: But I like your hair better in a pony tail. Put your hair in a pony tail and you will look better.
Me: Okay, you can leave now.
Maddie: Well, it does look better and not messy like now.
Me: (Pushing her out the door and thinking of trading her in for some new hair products or possibly a new wardrobe.)
I love having spontaneous conversations with Maddie and hearing some of the off the wall responses I get.  Moments like this make me go back to the time when she was so tiny in my arms. Cheesy? Absolutely! That is part of being a mother.  That is why I love this site so dearly and I know that 20 years from now I will cry when I come back here to remember long forgotton snippets of her childhood. I want to remember these moments forever because I fear that there will inevidibly be moments when she doesn’t want to speak to me at all.Â
Me:Â Maddie, you look snug as a bug.
Maddie: No Momma. I am a blue butterfly with brown spots.
Me: Really? I am a blue catepillar with red spots.
Maddie: (Rolling her eyes…) No Mom. Catepillars are green. (Rolls over and goes to sleep)
So much for trying to play along when I am obviously outwitted by a three-year old.
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I just spent 30 minutes typing a post when the library network went down. Yeah! I love not having Internet at home. It is such an adventure!
It has been a little challenging raising Maddie in the last few days. She pushes us to the limit and challenges everything we say and do. I am okay with this and in fact would encourage her to question things so that she can form her own opinion…WHEN SHE IS AN ADULT! But a three year old telling me what to do and what is right, that is a little more than challenging, at times it is infuriating.
Last night on the way home Maddie was arguing about what should be considered bad words and what were okay words to say. Maddie has never really said anything bad, meaning she hasn’t cussed like a sailor inspite of some of the foul language that naturally flows out of my mouth like a raging river.
I wasn’t disagreeing with too much of what she was saying until she ended a sentence with “Duh!”
Me:Â Maddie, I don’t like that word and I don’t want you to say it.
Maddie: Duh is not a bad word. I say it at school and I don’t even get a time out so I don’t worry about it.
Me:Â I don’t like that word, wait, it isn’t EVEN a word and it makes you sound simple.
Maddie: Simple? Well I am not going to worry about it. I will say it at school but I won’t say it to you.
Me: Well thank you and I wish you wouldn’t say it at school either. It just doesn’t sound good.
Maddie: Well I like the word. I think it sounds good like “Okay and Really and all those other things I say”.
Me: See? That word has already made you sound simple. You can say a lot of other words instead.
Maddie: Like Duh? (long pause, big eyes) I am sorry Mommy, I won’t say that word anymore. Simple. Simple. Simple.