Three Year Old Problems

Josh and I often find ourselves laughing at things that upset Avery. Not because we like her to be upset, but because things that she sees as a crisis are really so tiny and well, hilarious.  Josh always says, "Oh to be three and have her problems..." 

Last night on the way home from school, she told me that she wanted me to pack her a lunch in her Pinky Pie lunch pail (or "lunch pal," as she calls it). I explained to her that I have not been packing lunches for her because the school serves food at snacktime and lunchtime each day.  I told her that there was no need for me to pack a lunch on Thursday especially, because Thursday is pizza day, and she loves pizza.  But Avery kept insisting that she wanted a quesadilla, string cheese, and goldfish crackers in her "lunch pal" for tomorrow.  I finally stopped trying to reason with her and just reminded myself that she has no concept of time, and that possibly she wanted me to pack the food in her lunchbox but then she would just eat it right away for dinner. Today, tomorrow, Saturday, next week, and next month are all the same to her, as they all mean "not happening right now." 

When we got home, I popped a quesadilla into the microwave, cut it up into triangles and nestled it inside her lunch pack. I added a string cheese and some goldfish crackers, zipped it up and handed it to her. 

Avery: "Thanks Mom. I'm going to take this to school on Saturday."  

Me: "Okay. So what are you going to eat for dinner then?" 

Avery: "Nothing."

Me: "Don't you want to eat your quesadilla for dinner? It's still warm, I just made it!"

Avery: "NOOO! I'm saving it for school!"

Me: "Okay, well if you want to save it for school then we need to put your lunch pack into the refrigerator so it doesn't spoil." 

Avery: "NO! It's for school." 

Me: "Yes we will keep it cold until it's ready to eat at school tomorrow."

Avery: "But I want it."

Me: "Okay then let's take it over to the table and you can eat it!"

Avery: [starts crying]

After at least an hour of her insisting that she didn't want to eat it, I finally got my way when she decided that she wanted strawberry yogurt, and I made it clear that the path to strawberry yogurt was a quesadilla, string cheese and some carrots in her tummy first.

After all this nonsensical banter each night, I am more than ready to get past bath time (which involves even more nonsense - like last night when I braided her hair per her request before bed, only for her to take it out shortly thereafter because she "didn't want it braided anymore") and get to the best part, which is where we sit down on the end of her bed and I read stories to her. Lately she has wanted to "read" the stories to me after I read them to her. It completely amazes me how much she memorizes even if we are reading a new book for the first time. She can go back and reiterate (sometimes verbatim) what it said on each page. I love hearing her little voice tell the story, and I love knowing that she was listening and taking it all in as I was reading to her. 

Of course this magic is short lived.  After I get her a drink of water, pull her blankets over her, get her fan turned on, her nightlight on, get the kitties out, and say goodnight, it is usually a matter of five minutes or less before I can hear her footsteps across the floor and her door creak open, forcing me to drag myself back up the stairs to see what the issue is.  

Her top "problems" after I have tucked her in are:

8. I need my ______(fill in the blank with whatever toy she left in the car that morning)

7. I need my ______ (fill in the blank with whatever stuffed animal she left downstairs)

6. I need to go potty

5. I need a tissue

4. I need you to cover me up (which I just did)

3. I need more water

2. I need a band aid (for some virtually non-existent boo boo or hang nail)

1. I need you to put Karsley's hat back on. (Karsley is her baby doll, whose hat mysteriously seems to come off every night right after Avery gets in bed).

Sometimes we get a repeat of the door creaking open for one of the above listed "problems" at 3:00 or 4:00 am.  Josh said I was too harsh one night for telling her not to wake me up for problems with her toys, because I am not dealing with toys in the middle of the night. SIGH. I'm not in my best mood at 3:00, let's be honest. But I guess she must have it pretty good if her biggest problem in life is that her baby doll's hat slipped off.  Oh, to be three again....