One Clue That Nagging is the Norm

Two recent conversations with my three year old:

One night he's looking through the bookcase to find just the right bedtime story. I sit on the floor behind him waiting patiently (for once) because I had some knitting handy.

He's looking, looking, looking, then finally said, "Tell me to hurry up."

Happy to oblige, I say, "Hurry up, Tristan."

"Say it again," he commands.

"Hurry up."

In a very annoyed voice he snapped, "I am hurrying!"

* * *

Today after the fishing derby I tried to pull the same kid out of the car and he starts screaming, "MY SHOES, MY SHOES!"

"Okay, sorry, put your shoes on then."

I stand in the heat and the blazing sun not saying a word, just waiting for an agonizing long time while he struggles to get his shoes on. I stare out across the yard in a small zen-mommy moment which is so unlike me because I'm more like the "go go go commando go" kind of barking drill sargent mom. And not in a cool attractive way, either.

While he's still bent over struggling with his shoes I hear him say, "Tell me hurry up, Mommy."

"Hurry up, Tristan."

"Say it again."

"Hurry up, Tristan."

"Say it again."

We did this about ten times until finally he said, "Why do you keep saying hurry up to me?"

"Because you told me to."

"But why do you keep saying hurry up to me?"

We went through two or three more rounds of that until I finally just gave up and come to the conclusion that 1) I totally don't understand children and 2) obviously I'm such a nag that my children freak out when I'm quiet.

And finally, you can see the results of the fishing derby at: Observations from an Ozark Life