The Mommy Chronicles

We’re in the process of moving Cedric’s studio into our bedroom and reclaiming the master bedroom in the house as our room.  In the process we’re managing to organize and find lots to throw away/recycle/donate/sell.  I came across these toddler property laws that I had managed to get a copy of many years ago and kept for the time when I would have my own toddler.  Now that the word “mine” is heard on a daily basis around here I thought it would be appropriate to share with you all.  Enjoy!
(I should mention that I have no idea where the copy I has came from or who initially thought these up but sadly I can’t take the credit..)

Toddler Property Laws

If I like it, it’s mine.
If it is in my hand, it’s mine.
If I can take it from you, it’s mine.
If I had it a little while ago, it’s mine.
If it looks just like mine, it’s mine.
If I saw it first, it’s mine.
If you are doing or building something and you put it down, it automatically becomes mine.
If it is mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.
If it is broken, it’s yours.

Do you have a Diaper Genie at your house?  Those of you with small children may think I’m referring to this: That is where you might be mistaken.  While the Diaper Genie makes some pretty neat diaper sausages we actually went with a less expensive competitor that lets us use our own bag refills rather than buying the refill packs for the Diaper Genie…but I digress…

Since the arrival of our little bundle of Grace, big sister Anna has found little ways to help out and it makes my heart smile to see her taking ownership of her sister.  One of my favorite discoveries is that Anna has become my own personal diaper genie.  It’s like magic!  During the nights I’ve taken to changing Grace on the coffee table in the living room since the changing table is in Anna’s room and I don’t dare risk waking her.  The result: there are often a few diapers on the table in the morning when Anna wakes up.  Anna has discovered that she can take the little packages and trot back into her room and deposit them in the diaper pail.  Often she needs a little reminding that the diapers could go to her room but the other day as I was feeding Grace I realized that Anna had scooped up the diaper I had just changed and was already trotting back to her room before I had fully figured out what she was up to.  Sure enough, in a blink she was back and back to playing whatever game was holding her fancy.  I decided as I was watching her trot back to her room that I would call her my own diaper genie as the diapers seem to magically disappear.  So far I’m waiting for Anna to figure out that other things can fit in the diaper pail as well (which she hasn’t) and that it might be just as fun to put clean, unused diapers in the diaper pail (which she’s suggested but Mommy has vetoed).

At any rate, for my little Anna who is using “I do self” as her maxim these days, having a task that doesn’t require any direction from Mommy is maybe just what she needs to feel like a big girl.