Any parent will tell you that no matter how cool the toys you buy your kid are, said child will prefer the remote control, a cell phone, a stinky old blanket or the silly plush toy someone you hardly know gave her, even if it isn't clever or unusual like the stuffed roast beef from Mr. Pickles. I've come to accept this truth and happily hand over my cooking utensils and car keys as toys when darling C. whines for them. Sure, I'm giving in, but it's so much easier than watching her have a fit on the floor, especially because she loses interest quickly if I readily hand them over; resist and she will cradle the treasure for hours after I finally give in and I never get it back.
All of this said, I don't understand the deep love Clementine has for the winter jacket my dad gave her. Sure, it's cool and all, reversible and with a zip-out liner/rain coat/3-in-one do-all thingy, but it's not so cool that I can't imagine a world without it. C feels otherwise and will bend over howling in frustration or shriek loudly while huge tears roll down her reddening cheeks if you try to make her experience a world like that. I'm not kidding: take this kid's coat off and she totally loses her shit. She can be somewhat ameliorated if you let her carry it around, but really she wants that thing on and will go to great lengths (read: scream on the floor for more than 10 minutes) to get it.
At first I saw this as not wanting to be indoors or fenced in, but it isn't that. Then I wondered if maybe she wasn't handling transitions well--that not taking the jacket off meant she wasn't ready to be at day care or home yet. Maybe she is trying to keep something safe and consistent with her. But it isn't that either. I've decided it's time to stop analyzing: Clementine just loves her coat. A lot. And I'm going to stop fighting it. If she wants to eat in it, fine. If she wants to wear it to bed (the other night I let her cuddle with it but removed it once she'd nodded off), fine. I might draw the line at bath time, but if she wants to wear it all day at day care, that's fine too. I wish I could find a coat I like this much.
3 comments:
Why isn't this your Christmas card picture?
It's all about the stripes, baby. She knows how good she looks in them.
I think I love the coat too. I have about 12 winter coats (hey, it's Montana), but none that I feel like I should have its babies. Maybe I need to go shopping.
Love that hat!!! Love that baby face!!!!
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