Daughter bristle with anger
hearing my ever more desperate cries of ‘just brush your teeth’.
She defused the situation by escorting our little ball of belligerence to bed.
For the sake of equality, let’s not forget Thomas, who protested when I forced him into clothes the other morning.
Once fully dressed, he removed them all and wandered the house naked. It was a replay of the toothbrush incident with both of us refusing to back down.
Thankfully, Victoria provided a get-out clause for us both, by allowing him to wear Paw Patrol pyjamas for the day. It seemed like the solution to this parenting puzzle was to let them make their own decisions, but when you’re lost in the heat of conflict, it’s not always easy to simply retreat.
I’m not going to overanalyse because it’s just a phase and we should accept the belligerence, ready for the next stage, which I’m hoping might be the helpful, easygoing or obedient one.