Little helper
April 18, 2015
The toddler has reached the age where he can do it all by himself.
Taking his coat off? Don’t lay a finger on that zipper!
Cleaning up a spill? Why did I even bother to bring a towel for myself?
Sometimes when I forget how self-sufficient he is, he squalls angrily. Other times, he just gives me a patronizing look that says, “I got this.”
For our son, self-sufficiency means not only can he care for his own needs, he can also take care of the rest of the family’s needs as well.
I really had no idea how inadequate I was in the kitchen until he informed me that I needed his help to cook.
Dry baking ingredients have never been mixed so thoroughly or with such enthusiasm. He’s discovered that flour looks good on him, and makes sure to get as much on himself as possible.
He’ll say, “Oops, spilled a little” in a serious tone.
When I’m returning with the vacuum, I follow little white footsteps across the hall rug back into the kitchen.
He is already bent over his mess with a toy hand-held vacuum he received for Christmas. He sees me coming and holds up a firm hand.
“No! Me do it!” he says.
I watch for several seconds as his frustration mounts. His vacuum only stirs the mess around; it doesn’t pick up a thing.
He tosses it aside in disgust.
“Need to use mommy’s vacuum.”
He waves me over. I dutifully plug in the vacuum and head towards him.
Then I see a lightbulb shine above his head as inspiration strikes.
“Wait a minute,” he says. He runs into the other room, leaving more white footprints in his wake.
He returns with a bucket of toy trucks and dumps them in the middle of the mess.
“Look, Mom! Making roads!” he says joyfully.
And sure enough. Turns out, if you drive a toy truck through flour spilled on the floor, it will in fact make a road.
The trucks distract him enough that I am able to finish my baking with any more help.
The kitchen is not the only place our toddler is very helpful. He also insists on helping in the bathroom.
His brother draws the line at this, and his dad has this annoying habit of standing up to do his business.
But Mom! She sits down every time! And boy does she need a lot of help.
I had no idea until my second child turned two that I needed someone to help me “push” when using the bathroom.
There’s a button I didn’t realize I had, on my right hip, that miraculously does the trick every time my son pushes on it.
He discovered this button once when I was having a bit of stage fright before my audience.
He said, quite seriously, “Here, let me help.” Turns out, laughing also helps cure performance anxiety in the bathroom.
This article first appeared in the Lewistown News-Argus and the Sidney (Mont.) Herald on April 18, 2015.
