Weaning can be tough

I’ve always said one of the hardest parts about being a parent is not laughing at inappropriate moments.

Like when a 4-year-old walks into your kitchen, opens the cupboard where you keep the cake pans and pulls out a Batman cape (much to your bafflement), then expects you to take him seriously when he yells, “I’m Mattman” and flies around the house. Or when your 3-year-old hands you his brother’s mismatched tippy cup parts and says, “Something is completely out of control here.” Or when your young daughter calmly explains to you that God makes rocks and stuff out of wood he just has lying around in his garage like Dad.

Yep, good stuff.

Now my husband Eric and I have the luxury of laughing to our heart’s content, especially at our daughter, who is battling her own stubborn and darling baby girl.

Maggie messaged me yesterday to tell me Layla was not speaking to her. Given the fact that Layla is 15 months old, this was not a real shocker. But apparently it’s deeper than that.

Layla was mad. Very mad. Mommy took away her bottles. Time to adjust to tippy cups. Every time Maggie would give Layla a tippy cup, my sweet little granddaughter would let out a mighty roar and pitch it down the basement stairs.

I asked why she was in such a hurry to wean the baby off a bottle. Apparently the pediatrician said babies can damage their gums if they stay on a bottle. I am so glad I didn’t know this back when my kids were little. I’m lucky I didn’t do irreversible damage in my ignorance. (Yes, that was sarcasm.)

Then Maggie told me dealing with Layla’s unhappiness (as the kid screams bloody murder in the background) is part of the ‘parenting journey.’

My reaction, of course, was to laugh my butt off. Then tell Maggie’s dad, who promptly called her to laugh at her. It’s our reward for not laughing at inappropriate moments.