guys and dolls

One of Peeps' little friends likes to play with dolls. He wanted one for Christmas. Santa, however, put his foot down; he’s got a stringent code against giving boys dolls.

I come from a house (and extended family) full of girls and have two myself, so the aversion some fathers have to their boys playing with “girl toys” eludes me. My one brother and I used to interchange Barbies with Ninja Turtle figurines. I think he even had a plush doll.

I have no problem with my girls playing with “boy toys” (that actually sounds quite twisted, but you know what I mean). I wouldn’t stop them from fiddling with plastic tool sets or pushing around dump trucks, nor am I afraid these things will damage their femininity. And anyway, who said tools and trucks were exclusively reserved for boys? Or that dolls are for girls? (Probably the same people who make it impossible for me to find dinosaur pj’s in the girls’ section).

Anyway, I see much less parental resistance to girls playing with toys out of their stereotypical genre, but don’t more men grow up to be fathers than women to be dump truck operators? Isn’t this taboo a bit backward then?

Do/would you let your boy own a doll? Why or why not? (I know. This sounds like a discussion point straight out of a junior high social studies textbook. Still, let’s discuss).

fantastic

You know, I haven't had a bad Christmas yet.

another happy holiday down...

secret santa

We came home yesterday (after a breezy 13-hour car ride) to some great mail. Christmas cards, mostly--don't you just love Christmas cards? Also in the pile: the first of what seems to be a year-long subscription to the Smithsonian magazine and Home, this book by Marilynne Robinson I've been wanting to read for a while. Neither Dave nor I have any clue where these things came from.

Was it you??

If so, thanks! And Merry Christmas!

recant

I have to admit that I've come to regret my hug post. A lot of people have brought it up. My own dad refused to hug me over the Christmas holiday. Let me clarify: it's not that I don't like to hug. I do. I just don't like to hug old men I don't know. Also my old-man neighbor. That's what the post was really about.

And then today, as if to spite me, said neighbor brought over my mail (he picks it up for us while we're out of town, which would be great if we'd actually asked him to) and went in for a hug.

a few of my favorites under the christmas tree

Christmas is coming...and everyone's excited. Peeps keeps lugging around her wrapped presents and playing with her Little People nativity (To her, Mary and Joseph are "Married" and "Joseph Smith" but, whatever). Lucy is biting her own arms hard enough to leave marks and refusing crawl. Dave and I are basically finished with shopping. We can't wait to see everyone!

Also, yesterday I turned 30. We stretched it out into a three-day extravaganza--a day for each decade! Marti watched the kiddos, Dave and I partied it up in Tucson and ran a 10K with our friend Jamie. Then yesterday it was cake and the obligatory "say one thing you like about Lacy" moment, which I obviously loved. :)

So now I'm old. And I'm actually feeling pretty good about it. I'm in a good place, feeling good about the upcoming places. So cheers to 30. Thus far, it's not too bad.

**hugs**

At our commissary, it's customary for the bagger to take your groceries out to your car. They're not necessarily being polite; they work for tips only. Anyway, yesterday, my bagger was this 78-year-old man who went in for a "happy holidays" hug after all the bags were loaded into the trunk. And I couldn't help but feel creeped out. Nor could I help but feel obligated to hug him.

He didn't strike me as the "creepy old man" type, but I really do hate a non-relative random hug. Especially from men. I almost feel like it's a bit of an abuse on their part. Who's going to turn down something as harmless as a hug (where, incidentally, my body is pressed up against yours)? And yet I'm constantly looking for a socially polite way to do just that. "Actually, I don't hug. Avian Bone Syndrome."

Not that this post is intended to ward off all affection. If you are a man and related to me, or have known me since I was a kid or something, go on and solicit a hug! But if you're the elderly bag boy or my creepy 0ld-man neighbor (who really does try to hug me every chance he gets) then DON'T! Just don't.

appendix a

Every new year, I like to assemble a list of "to reads." I call it Appendix A of my Resolution statement. I usually only get through about half of the list. Probably because I'm not too rigid about it. I believe in the karmic power of books "finding" me. So I have to leave room for providence.

Still, I saw a great list of books on Salon.com that's given me all sorts of ideas for 2010!

just had to share...

sometimes I want to strangle my child: don't judge me

Lately I've been so frustrated with my kiddos. Okay, really just with Penelope. I think it's just a phase. A phase where she takes every chance she can to pull Lucy's arms out of their sockets and poke her in the eyes. A phase where she daily erupts in a screaming and crying fit. A phase where she asks me for things over and over until she gets them:

Her: "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy. I need some milk! Milk! Milk! Milk!"
Me: "Okay."
Her: "Mommy! Milk, milk, milk milk!"
Me: "Did I say you could have some milk?"
Her: "Yes."
Me: "Okay then. You need to stop asking. I'm getting it for you right now."
Her: "But I need some milk!"
Me: "Sigh" (I'm editing here. My responses at this point tend to be a bit more aggravated)

My alter ego, Monster Mom, has been rearing her ugly head with greater frequency. She's basically on the verge of a personality takeover. Peeps is a great kid. No question. I just need a better coping method.

So I ask you experienced parent-readers. How did you survive toddlerdom with your kids? What are your secrets? Favorite parenting books? Words of wisdom? Don't hold back; I'm open to anything.