Brown-eyed babe can now say the word "no". She loves the word " no". It is the verbal emphasis that she has been waiting to use with her actions. I attempt to hold her hand outside, she pulls away defiantly with a gutteral "no", and struts off, shoulders hunched up , arms swinging with purpose. I tell her "no" as she tries to pull off the various papers on the fridge or get into the cabinet where I keep her food and her response "no?...no, no, no, no, no..." as she wanders off to the next thing.
My brother used to threaten me when she was an infant, "Just you wait, I'm going to teach her the word,'no', just you wait." I was dreading it. I foresaw loud tantrums in public with brown-eyed babe wiggling out of my arms throwing herself on the ground and crying out "NO!!!" as strangers looked on with disdain and pity at me, yet another parent who cannot control her toddler. But just the opposite has happened. I am thoroughly enjoying this whole "no" business. Perhaps it is because I am so intrigued with the sound of her voice. She says "no" and I think, dearlord my child is talking to me, really truly talking to me. "No" for me has been the official crossover into toddlerdom. There is no turning back now.
