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The Secret to a Happy Toddler.

For every day that I go to babysit "my" kids, I gain an ounce more of understanding towards moms with their own kids. Being a nanny is way easier than a mom I am sure, but I have had my share of laughs and ah ah moments where I finally somewhat "get" what the millions of moms out their have experienced.  You think you understand until you have to actually do it. 

Today as I rode my bike over to watch "my" two little ones, I basked in the gorgeous sunshine, the blue sky, and the mild breeze. It was a perfect walk day.  So when I arrived, I asked the three-year-old if he'd like to go find some water. (I was hoping I could find a pond or lake within walking distance.) Asking a three-year-old what he wants to do is always a hit-or-miss thing. They can be so stubborn, and I have had some best-made plans completely abandoned because of the agenda of a toddler. If you're a mom, you're probably laughing because you know exactly what I mean. However, I have found that if I reason something out with him and allow him to be a part of the decision making process, he is usually more cooperative than not. This can be a beautiful thing. Luckily he was all over the idea of going on a walk to find some water. Upon quick glance at my Google Maps, I saw something resembling a pond about 1.5 miles away (except I didn't realize it was that far). 

When it was time to depart on our journey, I buckled the ten month old in the stroller and the three-year-old buckled his large stuffed dog in the other side. He then got on his toddler mo-ha, or motorcycle as adults like to call them, with his plush sword in hand, and off we went. For the first block, it was stop and go. Like he wanted to swing his sword at every. single. tree/bush/flower. Oh the joys of toddler walks. But then after we crossed the street, he was OFF. Like I had a hard time keeping up! Luckily he has been trained well and stops at every road and waits for me to help him cross. That is a blessing for sure. 

I was beyond impressed that he road his mo-ha  all the way to the creek on Bob Billings, just down the hill from Kasold. That was nearly 1.5 miles. And he is 3. And was way ahead of me nearly the entire time. After a good 5 minutes of throwing sticks into the creek and seeing a turtle (!), I said it was time to head back. But he didn't want to ride his mo-ha  any more. He took the dog out of the stroller, climbed in, and then I was now responsible for carrying the dog, sword, and mo-ha. 

I now understand what it is like to get kids out of the house. Sometimes it can take so long to get everything gathered, but then it takes even longer if you try and reason with the toddler about what they can or can't bring. So we let them bring everything, even if it means we will be carrying it later. Oh the things we do to keep peace and a happy toddler. 

After I had pushed the now-super-heavy stroller up the hill back towards Kasold, I was sweating, but I realized the kids were both quiet. And I was getting smiles from the drivers as they passed us by. So I stopped and this is what I saw: 

Pretty picture perfect, isn't it? Dog and mo-ha in tote, with two sleeping kids. No wonder I was getting smiles from passersby. So moms and nannys out there, if you're ever wondering if you should say yes to your toddler wanting to bring all of their large toys with them, it is sometimes better to just go along with their desires. Hey, a happy toddler (usually) makes a happy mom/nanny.  

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