I've become Lily's favorite person. If something needs to be done - Dad has to do it. Put the tray on her high chair? Dad. Put her pants on? Dad. Bedtime stories? Dad. If Mom tries to do those things - tantrum.
I know this is just a two year old on a power trip (actually, 20 months). Still, I'd totally let this go to my head, if Lily wasn't so unintentionally mean to her mom. Yesterday Lily and I were doing puzzles, and Cindy sat down. Lily said 'no' and went to the point of pushing her own mother a suitable distance away.
The status as 'favorite' has flipped a few times. At one point, in the first few months, Lily would scream and cry if Mom couldn't be produced on demand. For me to watch Lily without mom present was essentially being yelled at, continuously, or until she fell asleep crying. Even with a helpless little baby, it bothered me that I couldn't comfort her, but nothing is more natural than for her to look for her source of food and closest contact. The reaction made sense, but still felt personal.
Lily is now old enough that we want to apply adult feelings to her reactions, even if we know that's not the case. She's still very early at learning how to handle her feelings, figuring out the basic building blocks of communication and relationships. I still feel bad for Cindy, since she does more for Lily than myself.
The good thing is that things will flip in another week and we'll be onto the next phase, whatever that may be.
No comments:
Post a Comment