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Community Corner

Outgrowing Old Habits

Learning how to "do" instead of "talk."

 

Yet another parenting milestone this week at Chez Shumway!  Akin to reaching the top of Mt. Everest, as impressive as graduating Summa cum Laude from Harvard and as rewarding as winning an Olympic Gold Medal, our baby boy took a huge leap forward.

On Saturday, our third and final child moved into a Big Boy Bed.

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Alright, alright, I may have embellished a bit. But for a mother of three, saying goodbye to the crib once and for all is a big deal.  It means that the baby is becoming more independent.  He is leaving the toddler stage behind him.  And yes, it signals that the brass ring – potty training! – is now visible on the horizon.  (Cue Choir of Angels)

We have been telling Quinn for a couple of months now that the Big Boy Bed was coming, and he was resisting it in a way that only a headstrong third child can. 

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“I don’t wanna big boy bed.  I wanna 'cib,’” he told us. 

We explained that his beloved 2-year old cousin Annie had a big girl bed and he could have one too.  We told him that HIS Big Boy Bed used to be his older brother’s and now he would get to join the ranks of the older kids as well.

“I wanna 'cib.’”

As this was not my first rodeo when it came to reasoning with a toddler, I decided to stop talking and start doing.  Andy quietly brought the bed down from the attic and as he was dismantling the crib, Quinn took notice.  Luckily, he was more focused on playing with the measuring tape and hiding underneath the crib frame (yes, highly dangerous; but with two adults in the room we felt as though the odds were on our side). 

When the bed was finally set up in his room, we ooh-ed and aah-ed in a lame attempt to sell the idea through.  He had a great time sitting on the bed and throwing his toys everywhere, so I decided not to mess with a good thing by reminding him that naptime was mere minutes away.  Knowing Quinn “My-favorite-word-is-NO!” Shumway the way that I do, I decided to tire him out and then pull the trigger.

My mother once said to me, “You young parents, you feel as though you have to TALK about everything with your kids.  When you were little, we didn’t prepare you for life changes by discussing them with you for weeks on end; you just woke up one day and you did it.  And you all grew up fine.”

Pretty good advice, I’ll admit it.  I guess that’s why Mother Knows Best.

Putting my little two and a half year old in that big bed reminded me of just how young he is.  He fought naptime with a few minutes of tears, but never looked back and is now sleeping like a champ. Although he’s the last Shumway to sleep in that crib (knock on wood), I’m completely fine with putting that part of our lives behind us and holding onto just the memories as we move forward.

But if anyone wants to buy a used (but in excellent condition!) crib, just call me.  There are still diapers to pay for, you know.

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