New Mom: Public Enemy Number One – Elmo!

Let me be crystal clear about one thing. ELMO. I HATE him. New Girl doesn’t watch TV, expect for on a few occasion when she is sick. She’s never seen Sesame Street or Elmo’s World, or anything of the like. But three months ago we went to one birthday party that had an inflatable Elmo, and it was like crack for babies. She couldn’t stop staring and saying his name. Now she has noticed (as have I), all of a sudden, that Elmo is on her diapers, her band-aid from the doctor, her friend’s mother’s key chain. She even noticed the Elmo books that had been a gift at a baby shower and which I thought I had tossed aside. She wants me to read them to her every night.

Part of my problem is the simple fact that she has developed a completely unnatural attraction to something that has never done anything for her. He never spoke to her, did any tricks, or cuddled her in a time of need. Just standing there at a birthday party was enough to get her hooked. My other big problem is that this character created for supposedly non-commercial public television, which I had always believed was at least committed to the best interest of children and education, is the biggest commercial force there is. You have to actually go out of your way to buy diapers, band-aids, sippy cups, birthday decorations, and the like, WITHOUT Elmo on them. And the books are the antithesis of educational material. They are everything an early educator would warn you about, with no rhyme, no rhythm, no story, terrible illustrations — and they are, in fact, just an ad for more Sesame Street characters.

I know I could switch diaper brands, ask the pediatrician for plain bandages, and throw away the books, but New Girl, whose diaper’s have never leaked, who doesn’t cry when she gets her shots, and who loves the bus on page 6 of Elmo’s Guessing Game About Colors, hasn’t done anything wrong in loving the red fuzzy guy. So I ask, what’s a parent to do?

Modern Mom: Potty Pressure

Finally. My daughter has indicated her interest in potty training, which, according to my pediatrician, is our green light to put her in underpants. I discussed it with her preschool teachers and they seem more than ready for the challenge. They told me that they trained 10 kids in one week a few months ago. I was delighted to hear that; if they could do 10 in one week, they could probably do my one in a day (can’t hurt to dream)! So this morning, we took our first ride to school with my daughter in her panties, and wouldn’t you know it, we got stuck in a major traffic jam. We were stalled for about two minutes, when I heard the words I was dreading from the back seat, “momma, I need to go poop.” There was no turning around, and no way to get out of the traffic line. So I tried to cajole, to reason, to guide, and to bribe my daughter to wait until we got to school. And it worked! We ran into school where I deposited my daughter, four extra changes of clothes, and six pairs of panties. And I have to admit, this is one day when I am glad she’s in child care. I can’t wait to see how much progress she makes during the day…I hope it’s enough so that our ride home is stress…and mess…free.

Commuter Mom: Allowance

I was at the store with Commuter Girl the other day when she pointed to a stuffed animal and said she needed it. I told her no, and asked her if she had any money to buy it. She looked at me and said, “Mama, I need some cash.” She’s 2 ½! We were out running errands and I told her that one of our stops was the bank. We drove through the ATM (by the way, whoever thought of drive through ATMs is a genius) and she asked if we were at the piggy bank.

I want Commuter Girl to understand that we work hard to earn our money and that she can’t have everything she wants. I want her to realize that sometimes you have to wait and save money before you can buy something really special. She can’t just walk into Gymboree and buy the sunglasses she wants, or the kayak she was eyeing at LL Bean – ok, maybe that involved a little encouragement from Commuter Dad. So, when can I start her on an allowance? How do I start to educate my 2 ½ year old about finances?