My food. My toy. My milk. My slide. My crayon. These are all phrases we’ve heard from Jamie over the last few weeks. Mine. Mine. Mine. I knew this is a phase toddlers go through, and I was somewhat prepared for it. So when he starts labeling everything as his, I’ll randomly ask if he’s willing to share. Sometimes he’ll hand it over. Sometimes I’ll get a big tantrummy “NOOOOO!!!!” There is one thing that caught me somewhat off guard in his declaring possession of everything he lays eyes on – this habit goes past physical objects, but also applies to experiences and people. As I left for work the other day, I was later informed that Jamie yelled at the cat: “CAT NOOOO!!! THAT’S MY BYE BYE!!!!” To clarify, I did not say goodbye to the cat. But it shouldn’t matter if I did. When I pick him up from daycare, I do not need to ring the doorbell. If my son is not presently looking out the window, I simply need to knock. He’ll stand up, running to the door. “MY DADDY!! MY DADDY!!” I know I need to continue encouraging the idea of sharing. I know I need to find ways to break him of labeling everything in the world as his. But there are occurrences that melt your heart and make you laugh and smile. Possession is a concept tough to grasp for a toddler. Like time, it’s something that can leave them staring blankly if you try to explain. Being around a toddler gives me some strange perspective on what it must have been like to be an early American settler. “IT’S MINE! IT’S MINE! IT’S MINE!” Hearing this refrain multiple times a day has a strange way of making me feel randomly territorial. Next time he says “MY HOUSE!!” maybe I’ll remind him that he could make a mortgage payment. Yes. If he wants more stuff, he’ll need to start pulling his weight.     If you like what you read, please vote for me by clicking the Top Daddy Blog Link below or sharing on social media....

Kids, no matter the age, can teach us a lot about life. Being the parent of a toddler can teach us more than we can imagine. Here are 14 life truths I never would have understood without my 2-year-old, Jamie: 1) Years of standing next to amplifiers at rock and roll concerts could not prepare me for the decibel level on a full-blown temper tantrum. 2) Let it Go is pretty much audio crack. Once a 2-year-old hears a song they like, they will be upset when you determine the millionth time listening is enough. Be prepared to hear the words “More?” and “Again?” 3) The answer to whether they want another book read at bedtime is always yes. The answer to whether they want to go to bed is always no. 4) It is possible to count every blade of grass, pick up every stick and point out every bird on a four-block walk. 5) What tasted good for dinner last week can easily become a point of contention for dinner this week. 6) A channel where a cartoon character reads the morning news might just be the perfect generational compromise. 7) Everything is “mine.” Nothing is yours. Not even if you make the mortgage or car payments. My house, my car, my slide, my hug, my food. 8) When you incorrectly enter the password to your iPhone enough times, it locks you out for three minutes. 9) Kids can open apps on your phone or turn the television on and off, but cannot find their mouth while eating spaghetti. 10) The most interesting toy a toddler owns is the one they are being asked to share – even if it hasn’t been played with in the previous six months. 11) The mood that they are in directly correlates with how much food is on their face during mealtimes. 12) The harder it is to do something (like lift them over your head) the more they will want it done. 13) Just because a toddler knows how to talk doesn’t mean there is any logic to what he or she is saying. 14) The one place that’s not toddler-proofed is the first place they will go. They have radar for it. If you like what you read, please vote for me by clicking the Top Daddy Blog Link below or sharing on social media....

On a recent weekend morning we decided to pack Jamie into the car and take him to a museum. Before we left we checked the website, confirmed it was open, and set out to go. “Jamie do you want to go to a museum?” “MOOOSEEEEUMMMM!!!” That’s an affirmative. When we pulled up there wasn’t a car in the vicinity. Despite the message to the opposite on their website, they were closed. The area was vacant. No museum for Jamie. Now, we’ve never taken him to one, and to my knowledge, he doesn’t know what a museum is. But as we drove away looking for something else, he pointed at the building and yelled. “NOOOOOOOOO!!!! MOOOOOSEEEEEEUUMMMMMMMM!!!” Telling him that we’ll do the museum another day is not an acceptable answer because he wants to go to the museum right now. There is no concept of time. The smart play is to ask him if he wants to go for a car ride, and conveniently leave out the destination or purpose. That way he is aware of the next immediate activity, and that is it. Afterwards, in a few minutes, when your mother gets home…these are concepts not understood just yet. This anxiety over time impacts our day-to-day activities at home as well. Meg can’t go to the bathroom without Jamie pounding on the door. If I pull him away from the door, he’ll sob and scream for mommy. I’ve been informed that telling him “You cried too much. Mommy isn’t coming back,” is not an appropriate response. Without that one in my arsenal I wait, and tell him that she’ll be back in a few minutes – which does nothing to quell the situation. Jamie can’t tell the difference between leaving for a full day of work and a quick trip to the deep freezer in the garage, so in the meantime both are equally concerning for him. There is an upside to this. He’s thrilled to see either parent return whether we’ve been gone for three hours or 30 seconds. Every entrance is treated like we’ve been missing for a week. There are smiles, hugs and “Daddy, daddy, daddy!!” Now if I can get him to continue with this kind of reception until he is 18, it will all work out. If you like what you read, please vote for me by clicking the Top Daddy Blog Link below or sharing on social media....

My least favorite parenting cliche from when Jamie was a newborn was “Enjoy every moment. It all goes so fast.” There is a definite foundation of truth to this statement, and of course it was always well-intended. The statement didn’t make the high pitch screams, projectile pee or chronic spit up any easier to manage, however. It’s crazy how seemingly overnight that infant transforms into a miniature person and calling him “the baby” is no longer accurate. Here are a few of the transitions involved in toddler development: Talking – Congratulations, your child now has more than one way to tell you that he’s hungry, needs a diaper change, or just wants attention for one reason or another. It doesn’t mean that they’ve suddenly developed an adult dosage of common sense, or logic. Just because they have the vocabulary doesn’t mean you can expect a well-reasoned argument. And you are not immune from a good old-fashioned temper tantrum from time to time. Walking – At some point it becomes easier for your toddler to walk side by side rather than load them up in a stroller. It might be easier, but that doesn’t necessarily equate to faster. While you may have an intended purpose for the walk, your toddler views it as an opportunity to point out every bug and pick up every leaf. Just because they can move their feet does not mean they have a sense of purpose – unless there’s something in it for them. Eating – At some point you’re feeding your toddler something messy and they look up and say “I do it!” You figure you didn’t like the color of the dining room walls anyway, so you hand the spoon over. And sure enough, the spaghetti sauce lands on the high chair tray, the floor, the walls, all over your shirt, their face and their hair. Meals and bath time are now intertwined. And a streak of independence is now born. Taste in movies, books and music – They’ll let you know what book they want you to read, and what movie they want you to watch from here out. All television programming is animated during daylight hours from here out. Also, welcome to the world of songs so catchy you’ll NEVER get them out of your head.   What toddler development do you notice?   If you like what you read, please vote for me by clicking the Top Daddy Blog Link below or sharing on social media....

I’ve written plenty of posts in the recent past about the frustrating aspects associated with acting like a toddler. They whine, they procrastinate, and they throw temper tantrums. Lots and lots of temper tantrums. It is tough to imagine any adult acting like a toddler functioning in society. It simply wouldn’t be possible. It’s tough to see the positives in the way they’re acting when they’re running into furniture or melting down in the grocery store – but if you look hard enough, you might. Five Positive Attributes of Acting Like a Toddler: They are tenacious. Toddlers find something they want. Then they continue to ask for it over and over and over again. They hear the word “no” and they ask again. Then they repeat this formula x50. If adults approached their careers with half of that tenacity, they’d be far more successful. Heck, if I repeated this formula, I might be published in more places. You rarely get anything in this world you don’t ask for. Your toddler can serve as case in point. They play hard. Sure, adults love to say that they play hard. But our minds are scatterbrained, and obsessing over the rest of the week. When a toddler plays, there is nothing else in the world but them, and the toy. They are so easily caught up in the moment. I wish I felt about anything the way my 2-year-old feels about his favorite toy. They love unconditionally. Parents talk a lot about unconditional love for their kids. I think there are just as many lessons in the way that toddlers reciprocate. Sure the tantrums are violent, but after four time outs and three screaming fits, they may turn to you and smile through the tears to say “Love you daddy.” It’s pretty hard to stay angry or frustrated through that. They appreciate the little things. Just the other day I received my copy of Dads Behaving Dadly II (I’m an author!!) in the mail. I opened it with Meg, who was extremely supportive, and Jamie, who wanted badly to play with the bubble wrap. He’s also getting harder and harder to take walks with because he wants to stop and count blades of grass. This is both frustrating and admirable at the same time. Sometimes we need to stop and simply enjoy ourselves. They’re creative. Kids are born creative, and toddlerhood is when it’s truly on display. They can invent new games, learn how to draw and create, as well as find imaginative ways to play. Somewhere along the lines it is usually slugged out of us. The ones who can keep it into adulthood are both rare and truly blessed. What positive traits do you see in your...

Say no. Since my posts are typically longer than two words, I’ll expound. But it did seem a natural ending point. You could also take something away, tell them it’s time for bed, or that he needs to eat his vegetables. You could try to urge him along on his walk home. Any or all of it is likely to end in a temper tantrum. You know how your toddler’s vocabulary is improving? The ever-changing demands that they make. Some don’t seem entirely unpredictable, and some certainly catch you off guard. Some are made at a reasonable point, and some need to be met with a stern “no.” Here is a short list of what we might hear on a typical day, sometimes all before breakfast: “Watch TV?” “Play books?” “Play cars?” “Play toys?” “Outside?” “Cat? Cat? Where’s cat?” “Cheerios at the table?” “Take a bath?” “Go night night?” Jamie has made all these demands at one time or another, even the last two. I’m sure he’s made others I can’t think of right now. When he gets an idea for what he wants to do in his head, he repeats it. Over and over and over and over and over again. I hope he can keep his passion and conviction for the things he wants when he sets career goals as an adult. Meanwhile, his mother and I feel/sound like a broken record. On the flip side, an other way to enrage a toddler is to take them away from what they want to be doing, because it is time to do something else. Naively, I tend to offer the upcoming activity as an option, hoping that he’ll jump up and be ready to move on. IT NEVER HAPPENS THAT WAY. For example, if he’s playing outside and it is time for dinner, the transition can be a process. It doesn’t matter if you are serving his favorite food in the world, the fact he is now headed toward the house is enough to send him into a little toddler fury. Nine times out of 10 he’s better once he realizes he’ll be eating something he likes. It just takes some time and emotional expenditure to realize he’ll be fine. The turn around time is typically very quick and he really is a happy toddler. But he knows what he wants, and he is extremely particular. Once he figures out that what you might want him to do next isn’t all that bad, he might even come around and enjoy himself again.   If you like what you read, please vote for me by clicking the Top Daddy Blog Link below or sharing on social media....