We haven't been to story time in months. Every time I suggest it, he literally starts crying. I don't know why; he can't articulate anything beyond, "I want to stay home!" So we do.
Today, after deciding not to go to story time, Mal told me he wanted strawberries. I was excited about the thought of going to 365 by Whole Foods, where berries are always 10% off for club members, but that was not what Mal had in mind.
Due largely to the influence of "Ryan's Toy Review" (Google it if you're uninitiated), Mal wanted to go pick strawberries. I did not. It is humid and hot, but not as hot as it's going to be next week.
Here is where the parenting rubber hits the road.
Allegedly, James and I are committed to giving Mal as much power in determining his own fate as it is possible and practical to do. And I had no reason to say, "No," so I didn't. We headed west on 1431 for what is, I believe, one of the prettiest drives in this area. It's about 45 minutes, and I knew Mal would fall asleep on the way home (which he did).
There was almost no one there, and the berries are dwindling. But we got enough to eat and maybe make something delicious. The heat got to us when the clouds weren't obscuring the sun. Mal lasted about 25 seconds on the bounce pillow thing. We caught lunch at Chick-fil-A and then found two new Cars at H-E-B before napping and/or enjoying the vistas on the trip back.
Pretty much any parenting style demands doing things that inconvenient to the parent. But you have to do it so you can look back with as few regrets as possible. And Mal was so much fun to hang out with today; I'm glad we went. I'll go to 365 tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for leaving a comment! We love to hear from you!