I Am But a Humble Parental Mastermind

Since I'm working on a goal to be more positive, I thought I'd start by giving myself a virtual pat on the back in the next installment of what seems to be becoming a series on why I am the best mom ever to live. Since every minute of every day I'm making choices that affect my kids' lives and who they will become and since often I make the wrong choices, it's fun to focus on the times I do something right.

We were headed out the door to a movie with Laylee dressed in her usual self-selected glam. I told her to hurry up and get her socks on and she asked me ever-so-sweetly if she could please where her Dorothy shoes with no socks. It was chilly outside and I almost said, "No. It's cold outside and you need to wear socks," but I stopped myself and thought, "I wear clogs or sandals with no socks in weather colder than this. She is almost five and is old enough to learn a lesson through natural consequences. I'm sick of fighting about things that really don't matter."

So I told her she should go outside and see if it was warm enough to go sockless. She stepped onto the front porch and reported that the 40 degree weather was indeed warm enough for naked toes to venture out in the world.

 
Today it's socks. Tomorrow she’ll be choosing a university.

"Okay," I said. "Then you can go without socks, but I'd like you to go upstairs and bring me socks which I'll carry in my purse in case you change your mind."

She was shocked and excited that I was letting her make the decision on her own and I was shocked and excited that she marched right upstairs to get the socks without so much as a sigh.

At some point during our trip, she noticed that the edge of her shoe was rubbing uncomfortably against her left foot and she asked me for one of the socks. She spent the rest of the afternoon with one sock on and one sock off, prancing around like she ruled the universe.

Now if Magoo had asked to go sockless, I probably would have put them on him anyway. At 2 he's not old enough to learn from his mistake and he would have ended up cold and mad that I had the audacity to let him go out dressed in such a fashion. But Laylee? I think Laylee's ready to have a bit more autonomy. Exciting. Scary. Hard to wrap my mind around. I still can't believe I'm in charge of my own sock choices, let alone those of 2 other people.

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