Peas, Tank you & 'Cuse Me

Now that Jon Jon is the ripe old age of 17 months, and practically running, there's been a definite shift in our activities as of late.  Finally having a child who is confident on their 2 feet has opened up a whole new world of adventures.  It has also led us to begin the discovery of toddler etiquette training.  I've always been vaguely aware of parental sounds bites such as, "sharing is caring", "say thank you to the nice lady", "say you're sorry to the little boy who's face you just threw sand in."  But I never really payed attention to these things until just recently.

Almost all of the children Jon Jon regularly plays with are a bit older than him, so we've had a nice glimpse of the future through our friends.  I watch as other Moms reenforce please and thank yous, excuse me, sorry, and he had it first so you need to give it back and get your own toy.  Jon Jon has always been the baby, and no one ever really expected him to understand how to share, and neither did he really get upset if someone took his toy.  And at the playground, Jon Jon toddles around going where ever he pleases, with no regard to what may, or may not, be his turn on the slide, etc.  I hear other moms say to their children, "Watch out for the baby!"  And I have started to hear myself say things like, "We go up the stairs and down the slide."  It sort of stops me in my track.  I have a child that is old enough to understand this stuff? Yep, I guess I do.

The other day at the playground, I heard one mom talking to another about the fact that she was trying not to hover so much over her child while he played, to boost his confidence.  Ooo, that was a new concept to me.  Am I hovering? But if I don't, he'll fall down the stairs! But soon... I'll have to let him fall down and pick himself back up. Right?  Isn't that part of the learning process.

All of this etiquette awareness has really made me aware of the fact that I am now starting to truly shape Jon Jon as a person.  Together, we mastered the basic survival skills of feeding, crawling, and then walking.  Now it's all about, communication, understanding, emotions, and independence.  He needs me in so many new ways, it's strange sometimes.  Almost makes me feel like even more of a parent than I did in his first year.  I am also more aware of how much he is watching me, taking in and even copying my behaviors.  In many ways it has made me a better person.  I find myself saying please and thank you more, being nicer to grocery store cashiers, and just all around trying to exhibit kinder behavior.

So Thank You Jon Jon, yet again you have taught me some good life lessons.