Sippy Cup Madness

I know it’s a ridiculous title, but it’s what came to my mind and I am pleased to write a bit about the family and how our child rearing is… progressing.

As the NCAA March Madness starts this week, I am enthralled in another form of “madness” at my home. Our youngest child turned two recently – “yay” for him and his birthday. “Yay” for us, it was the end of a long line of celebrations that essentially lingered through winter, starting at/with Christmas and into a new year, through three birthdays, a baptism, and various upper respiratory illnesses.

Sarcastically speaking - we love winter. Sometimes, right before Christmas I wish I could just take a great big gulp of fresh air and hold my breath.... all the way through - March.

Anyhow, so our youngest is now 2. To me this means he is beginning that more independent streak – complete with shorter naps, bits of whining, and some form of frustrated, communicative post-babel which he uses as we watch him walk off on his own - (down the busy mall esplanade). He is developing into his own MC - beginning to test his skills at ruling his roost, kinging his castle and so on. Becoming his own beautiful person.

Being version 3.0, he already has versions 2.0 and 1.0 to mimic and keep up with. This is funny because as he works hard to keep up to pace – he essentially skips some developmental steps. As in he skips the “Little People” phenomenon, either because we parents are now too busy overall to play it with him, or because we play in other advanced forms of pretend that the older boys initiate, which often includes the use of opposable-limbed action figures.

Whatever.
We are about to move him from the crib to a big boy bed. We have removed the high chair (which no longer gets used) from the small kitchen and into the basement – soon we will no longer be filling landfills with diapers  - and I have been eyeing those sippy cups up on the shelves. The ones that take three pieces, plus assembly, to use. The ones that take up valuable shelf space.

The big trouble in our little corner of the world is that this is probably the last time this stuff will get used - by this immediate family unit. Moving from one family stage to another is odd, and different, and leaves us parents feeling kind of older and sentimental. Where did our babies go?

It is madness to have these children, and secretly enjoy the madness they create, but to then watch them get older - a vicious self-inflicted cycle indeed.

I know it’s a ridiculous rant, but it’s what came to my mind and I am forlorn (a bit) to write about the family and how our child rearing is … regressing.

btw - Go Big Ten!