Momma's little helper

I'm not sure the phases of childhood, honestly. TIC has pretty much always been independent or working towards her independence. What has been great recently, is her absolute willingness to help. We don't even have to ask for her help and she's right there helping us. Some of her new duties include letting the dogs in from the backyard, getting herself (partially) dressed in the mornings and putting her coat away. She may also assist in other duties as assigned.

The funny part (the part worth mentioning in the blog) is when she helps with the "big people" stuff. We hosted a bridal shower today and the whole famjam, plus my friend Jennie, got into the coordination of the event. Since we have five crazy dogs (whom I adore greatly) who don't always listen when we say "sunshinechiefgilliganwellietinogetofftheguestsrightnoworsohelpmeiwillbeatyouuntilyourchildrenareborndizzy", we tend to stash them in the garage with space heaters until the event is over. Since two dogs, who for the purposes of this blog shall be referred to as Havoc and Mayhem, love to spread death and destruction when unsupervised, this means being crated in the garage. Today, Brent was breaking down the crate to put into the garage. TIC, who is very familiar with the mechanics of this action (far too familiar for someone younger than the age of 9), said "Need help, Daddy? I help you!" Before Brent could even blink an eye, TIC was right there to help him with the heavy lifting. We do what EVERY parent does which is play right along with it. We let TIC think she's doing the heavy lifting (literally, in this case), while we really bear the brunt of the weight. The funny part is the grunts and groans that accompany her actions. Today's episode with the crate earned a "unh, ugh, grunt, groan, phew" from TIC. Then she dusted off her hands and said "I ready to go shopping, Mommy."

On another occasion, I was picking up a momma cat and her babies from the vet. When I made motion to pick up the crate, TIC said "No mommy turn, my turn!" I was willing to play along so I said "Okay, baby, let's take the kitties to the car." TIC put both hands on the handle, bent at the knees (good girl), attempted a squat lift and then looked at me and said "It's heavy, Mommy, you do it!" The form was excellent, the mechanics were willing, the strength...just not quite there yet.

Another thing that has come into play is the toddler logic. Unfortunately, the toddler logic is unshakable. I'm going to pose this dilemma to you and actively request feedback on how I can outsmart my child.
As I do every year, I purchased a new hat and gloves to go with TIC's new winter coat. Probably before it was appropriate, I asked her to put them on. She told me no. As it wasn't a big deal at the time, I let it ride. A week or so later, we took the hat and gloves to school. I told her that if she was going to play on the playground, she would need to wear the hat and gloves. TIC thought about this for a moment and said "I wear this hat, Mommy" and she put her hood on her head. Impressive! I said, "Okay, you can put your hood on and keep your head warm, but you'll have to wear your gloves to keep your hands warm." Without even THINKING about it, she said "I put my hands in my pockets, Mommy. No gloves." I was speechless. How can I complete with that logic?? Now, you may be thinking as I did, that this child SURELY will not be able to retain this logic. Alas, we would both be wrong as she has successfully applied the logic not only to her daddy, but her teachers at school too. You may think, as I did, that bribery would change the tide. I am here to tell you that I bribed her with a Dora balloon and was snubbed! SNUBBED! If a Dora balloon can't get her to put her hat and gloves on, then I ask you, what can???? Candy bar to the person with the successful suggestion!