The battle of wills is on!

Now that Scotty is 3 he has learned that he has his own opinions and thoughts on everything.  He has also learned that he can express these thoughts and opinions at any time (which he does loudly and often!).  What he has trouble understanding is why Mommy still makes him do things when he has very clearly made it known that he doesn't want to.  I have already told you that I don't want to get dressed, go to the potty, turn the tv off, clean up my toys, come into the house from outside, put my dishes in the sink, get my pajamas on, brush my teeth, go to bed and stay in bed, he thinks to himself, haven't I made myself perfectly clear?  Maybe I need to tell you again that I don't want to do these things!  We are learning together about compromise, communication and patience.  Sometimes I feel sorry for Scotty because he has to be the guinea pig of our parenting skills.  By the time Grant is this age we will have mastered the patience and techniques needed to train, teach and handle all of these situations.  With Scotty we are learning as we go and just doing the best we can trying to find what works. 

Scotty is also getting into the "I can do it all by myself" stage.  Sometimes I am so proud of him and watch with joy as he accomplishes something that is important to him.  Other times I am having to restrain myself from jumping in and doing things for him because it is much faster.  This usually happens when we have to go somewhere and I didn't plan an extra 30 minutes for him to put his pants on all by himself!  

I'm looking forward to this year of growth and new adventures that we will experience with him, which apparently is going to be very exciting!