It's Mine!

I swear, that's the two words I heard the most all day..."It's Mine!"  Which is of course always followed by one of two things...a cry from the offended party that whoever is in possession of their toy won't give it back or the louder cry of the offending party when the toy is snatched back out of their hands.  Then the struggle ensues.  Back and forth, "it's mine.  No, it's mine.  Miss Sheri....." Until I step in, try to mediate, and if all else fails, the item in question is banished to the top of the toy kitchen, which, fortunately, none of the little hands can reach to the top of.  At which point, the toddlers who were fighting moments before have already moved on to a new target and the cycle begins anew.  Until an exhausted daycare provider, worn out from a roomful of toddler's "it's mine" refrains starts reading a book, trying to distract them.  This works for about 2 minutes, when someone realizes that someone else is just getting a little more "lap room" and starts edging in.  So, what to do when I'm the object of the "it's mine" debate? I sit up on a chair.  I stand up.  And, I completely lose their interest in the book.  Rationalizing with toddlers is a losing game.   They're always one step ahead...moving ever closer to the "it's mine" target that pops up next.


But, if you look closely through those tired eyes from a worn out caregiver, this is the first step to self-confidence when they feel empowered to stand up for what they believe is thier right.  It's the first glimmer into a personality to come - do they give in and are more passive or is it a fight at all costs to win back what's theirs?  It's amazing to be able to watch infants turn into toddlers and toddlers into preschoolers because although each stage has it's own challenges, it's a privilege to see them become their own person.

So, the next time that the toddler or preschooler in your house is driving you crazy, think to how those behaviors will one day benefit them and encourage the behaviors in a positive way as much as you can.  Having the tenacity to stand up for what you believe in is an awesome trait and we could all learn that from a toddler.