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Fickle Frustration
It was potty training time. It wasn’t time to
explain to the twins that whatever Daddy chose for
their clothes was simply what they were going to
wear. I never needed to have that conversation with
my son and my oldest daughter quickly decided that
picking her own clothes meant she had to go get
them out of her closet. Sometimes the effort was
worth it. Sometimes it wasn’t.
After a particularly successful morning of no
accidents good progress in the bathroom, I was
feeling generous. I dressed Natalie without
incident in a flowered overall outfit and a purple
shirt. Before I could dress Anna in a jean overalls
and an identical shirt, she ran away, citing a need
to go potty. We were not in a place where that was
ever not an option.
Back at the clothes pile, she said, “No
purple shirt. Pink shirt!”
I was okay with that. Natalie was wearing a
purple shirt, so I figured she didn’t have to
match if she didn’t want to. I got the pink
shirt.
In the meantime, Natalie realized that Anna was
getting a different shirt, so she grabbed a new one
for herself—with stripes. Even I know stripes
don’t go with flowers unless the colors match
really well. I told her she could change shirts
after I was done with Anna. (Anyone else see two
things I did wrong already?)
In the middle of the clothing change, Anna
decided she hated the pink shirt and needed to have
the purple shirt. I preferred the purple, so I
quickly changed her into my original choice. She
didn’t want the overalls. I was still in
control (of myself if not the situation), so I
calmly said, “No, wear the overalls,” and
put her into it.
Natalie brought the clashing shirt over and we
took off her overalls and purple shirt. The new
shirt didn’t fit, so we took it off. I offered
the pink shirt Anna didn’t want. She screamed
that she had to have the purple shirt! What was I
thinking? Anna saw that Natalie was wearing Mickey
Mouse undies and quickly began undressing so she
could change whatever she was wearing. And she had
to wear the pink shirt! No, Natalie demanded the
pink shirt!
That was pretty much it for me. A few minutes
later, both girls were crying uncontrollably,
Natalie was wearing a purple shirt and flowered
overalls, Anna’s outfit was whatever it had
been, and I was downstairs slamming cupboard doors
in the kitchen.
Looking back, I can see where it all began to go
wrong.
We had girls.
©2008, Mark
Phillips
* * *
Women, it's true, make human beings, but
only men can make men. - Margaret Mead
Mark
Phillips is a Stay-At-Home-Dad and freelance
writer. Along with raising his four children, he is
developing a franchise called “The Vacuum IS a
Power Tool.” It is designed to help SAHDs
maintain that which makes us men, instead of hairy
Mom-substitutes. He earned a B.S. in
Communication/Theatre Arts and teaching
certificates in English, public speaking, and
psychology from Eastern Michigan University. After
six years as a high school English teacher and
Director of Dramatic Arts at Powers Catholic High
School in Flint, Michigan, he changed careers and
became a Stay-At-Home-Dad. www.TheVacuumIsAPowerTool.com
or E-Mail
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