Stop, Mommy Daddy!

Jack,

Yesterday we went to the Zoo as a family. It wasn't terribly cold and still chilly enough to require a jacket, so the animals were out and about - even the ones that we don't normally see in the heat of summer. The jaguars and lions and leopards were chewing on cardboard and pacing and acting like they were cats much smaller than the size they were.

We walked through the zoo, watching the Sea Lions get fed, walked through the Herpetarium and saw the snakes and turtles and dragons and alligators. Next we went to the monkey house and checked out the excited little monkeys bouncing around in their living spaces and even interacting with us through the glass.

We saw Zebras and Camels and Giraffes.

All along the way, we walked. You love to run so this was a great activity. As we found ourselves on the far side of the Zoo, you took the lead of our little party and would gather us together and instruct us where to go with a "STOP!" You would reach your little hands into the air like you were directing traffic commanding our attention and stopping our forward movement. Then you would indicate another direction to head off in."STOP, Mommy Daddy! We go zee-bwas! O'er dere!"

"Mommy Daddy STOP! See Ti-grrrrs!"

STOP Mommy Daddy!

The nice thing about the Zoo is that there is always an animal that you want to see just around the next corner so this was a great place to let you be in charge.We ended up seeing all the animals we wanted to and having a wonderful time.

Control is a funny thing. We can become obsessed with having it and convinced that our way is the only way to do things. That causes stress and it's very unpleasant.Many times, I think we might not even be aware when we have gotten to a point where maintaining that level of control begins to control us.I'm trying to learn that there are times that control is important - when it is meant to protect you from danger - and times when control is important to hand over to you so that, even at 2, you build confidence in your ability to make decisions and discover that you can do things.Situations like this can be a lot of fun for me because I can let go in a safe environment and watch you in action.

From there we headed to the Merry-Go-Round.

You road the Jaguar (which you called "Sheena") and the caterpillar (Very Hungwy Caterpillar)and then headed home to enjoy a little down time after a very active day. Thanks for keeping us on course today, Buddy!

Love,

Mommy