Everything is a big deal to a two year old. Landon is really in full swing of asserting his independence. It is a good thing, really and I do want to encourage it. However the assertion of his independence also means things usually happening not the way or in the time frame I would like. He’s starting to dress himself more – and picking out the clothes he wants to wear for the day. Today he comes out with these funky shorts (I have no idea where they came from) on with a shirt that didn’t match at all. He is super proud of the clothes he has on. Who am I to crush his dreams?!
Not to long ago we got Landon some new sandals. Race car sandals that light up when you stomp. Yeah – he’s part of the cool crowd now. He’s even more excited because he can put them on by himself 95% of the time. He needed help pulling the tongue up in his old tennis shoes. The sandals he can slip right on. He is still obviously figuring out which shoe goes on which foot. He proudly showed me he got his shoes on by himself. They were on the wrong feet. I suggested this to him and was promptly corrected – “no!”. Who am I to crush his dreams?!
His hair was all crazy from sleeping and he wouldn’t let me do any combing or brushing of his hair. He had to do it himself. He gets the comb and goes over the same spot about 25 times (mind you it’s a spot that really doesn’t need combing to begin with). He comes and shows me his ‘do’, not looking much different than when he woke up, but very proud of himself for the combing effort he put forth. Who am I to crush his dreams?!
So he goes to preschool in funky mismatched shorts with shoes on the wrong feet and hair that is all over the place. But really, who cares? I could have forced the issue to have him change is clothes, or pulled his shoes off and made him switch them to the correct feet, or even doused his hair with water to get it looking better, but all of those would have resulted in him getting upset a full on temper tantrum or and a battle of the wills between mom and Landon.
The way I figure it: he’s two and a half. Who really cares what he looks like. And the shoes? If it gets uncomfortable he’ll take them off.