Wrapped around her chubby little finger

The Man has a military background. He joked, when I was pregnant, that we would be all about corporal punishment. Well, I knew he was half-joking but I also know he would not stand for a bratty child. If that meant time-out, so be it. If it meant spanking, well, I don’t think he would have ruled that out.
And then she was born.
He doesn’t call her his princess (Thank goodness. I just have weird feelings about that particular nickname.) But you bet that she rules his world. Sure, The Bun melts my heart, too. But I think it may actually cause The Man pain when he sees her cry. And heaven forbid if, while she’s crying, she wails, “Daaaaaa-deeeeeee”. More often than not, he gives in.
This may alarm folks. “She’s probably a spoiled, rotten brat,” you whisper. We are blessed, people. Our daughter is not a problem child. She is actually very, very sweet. I have it on good authority from grandparents (bias), aunts, uncles & friends (semi-bias), day care (could be bias but is not) and strangers (unbias) that The Bun is one of the sweetest toddlers they’ve ever met.
For real.
If you keep up with this blog, you know that the first year was a struggle for me. I felt like I was barely holding it together but people reassured me I was fine. Later, because I’m related to and friends with some of the best people I’ve ever met, they told me that they thought The Bun was a super easy baby and that I was lucky. But they didn’t want to tell me because they didn’t want to negate my feelings AKA worrying. Instead, they were reassuring without being condescending or dismissive. (Told you, these people are keepers.)
My point is that my daughter’s easy-going nature and sweet disposition may be part nature as well as nurture. I mean, when a baby is challenging (colicky, irritable or just the opposite of “easy”), it is unfair to blame the parents. The baby is just working things out and having a damn hard time adjusting to the world after the comforts of the womb. I feel the same could be said for easy going babies. I think we lucked out because The Bun was a very even-tempered baby. But let me give credit where credit is due.
The Village. It really does take one. And mine consists of me, The Man, both grandmothers, a grandfather, and day care provider. (Shout out to the outer circle who contributed to this village and were there if needed like other relatives and very good girlfriends of mine.) Yes, we were blessed with a sweet baby right out the gate but this village nurtured that sweetness and made her the kind and loveable child she is today. These people helped so much by creating a safe environment where she could grow and flourish. Truly.
Does she have moods? Absolutely. She is a normal two year old with a temper as well as overwhelming feelings of sadness when she doesn’t get her way. At least, that’s what I think is going on when she flings herself to the ground, sobbing. But I am having more fun with her than ever before. I want to kiss her all the time and have tons of fun with her and The Man. All right, all right, I guess she has us both wrapped around her chubby little finger. I just think it takes me a little longer to crack ;)