I wanted to axe a question. You, gentle reader, have been so helpful in determining what to name our baby and what color to paint her room. I need some more help.And just in case you are wondering: there will be a lovely post coming soon (perhaps tonight!) with more pictures of our beautiful baby for our relatives to ohh and ahh over and for the rest of you to skip past.
QUERY #1:
I am trying to listen to more music with the kids. Instead of me turning on NPR when we are in the car and ignoring them, I have had a lot of fun turning on music that we all like and interacting and singing. The play list is pretty limited, because I don't want to listen to Barney and Friends, but Jonah and Noel aren't really jiving on Rufus Wainwright and Bjork. But we have found some common ground. Here is the playlist, so far (fittingly titled "The Boys" on my iPod.)
1. Don't Stop Believing - not the Journey version. The one from Glee. And Jonah sings all the words (in the voice of the character who is singing, too! "Livin' in old Detroit!"
2. Stayin' Alive - the funniest song every written.
3. Old Joe's Place from A Mighty Wind. The second funniest song ever.
4. Disneyland's Main Street Electrical Parade.
5. So What by Pink. Don't judge me. I turn it down when she swears. This is Noel's personal fave.
6. Tiki Room. A classic.
7. Blitzkrieg Bop by the Ramones.
And that is it. In constant rotation. It isn't bad, because that many songs is enough to get you to Target and back. But I want to mix it up a bit. So...any thoughts? What songs are kid friendly, but not annoying (I know some of you would argue that the tiki room is annoying, but I love that place. I can taste the Dole Whip now....)
QUERY #2:
Lately we have discovered the awesome power of parental guilt. If you are trying to get Noel to do something and you say, "Noel, it would make me SO HAPPY if you...." he'll stop all fits and do it. And then when he is done, he looks to you eagerly for approval. "Look, Dad! I put my pajamas on by myself! Did it, indeed, make you SO HAPPY?! Validate me!" his subtext seems to say. It is amazing, because if you know Noel, you know he is stubborn - but that power of withholding love to get what we want is wonderful.
But is it wrong?
It isn't really a lie. It does make me so happy if Noel puts on his on pjs or shares a toy or eats his dinner. But in his little three year old brain, does he think that I only love him when he does what I want him to? And what is the fun of wielding parental guilt if it makes me feel guilty? Help me out here - is it OK to guilt my child into doing what I want him to do? (I have included the evil looking picture of Noel to sway you to my side..wait, is that champagne he is drinking?)
