Reasoning with a 2-year old

TJ is approaching 2 years of age. This blows my mind completely every single time I think of it. He is my baby, but not a baby anymore. I love to watch him grow and discover things though, and of course I will admit to readers here that I am raising a boy genius. I don't want him to know just how smart he is, but of course we (I mean me) are sure he is gifted and will do great things for all mankind. But just when I am internally debating if I am raising the next Nobel laureate or president of the United States, he does something to remind me that, well, that he is 2.

This morning I told TJ to go in his room and pick out some pants and a shirt to wear to school. I thought this would keep him occupied while I fixed my hair. He comes out with a pair of bright red shorts (I knew I hadn't gotten all the summer clothes when I took that bag to the attic). He smiled and said, "My shirt." I responded of course by smiling, and telling him those were shorts, and its too cold for shorts today. To which he responded, "My shirt!" with more volume for emphasis. I finished my hair and went in and picked out 2 shirts and 2 pants for him to choose his outfit for the day from, and he responded, "MY SHIRT!!" and held up the red shorts again. At this point he is desperately trying to put the shorts on as a shirt and screaming, "My do IT! MY DO IT!" every time I try and intervene.

And then I realized, as I wrestled and distracted and tricked him into picking out a camo outfit for the day, that this kind of thinking outside the box is going to serve him well in life. I bet most great scientists, inventors, and prize-winning novelists gave their parents a difficult time when they were toddlers. And maybe some even wore red shorts in November (but not TJ...we wouldn't want the other moms at dayacre to talk about me and my exceptional toddler... ;) )

Baptism by...Adam!

So TJ is completely unbearable in church these days, and rather than exhausting ourselves chasing him up and down the aisle, Adam has taken to staying home with him while I walk to church with the older kids. This means we are running a 1 parent vs. 3 children church defense, so I try and run a tight ship.

This week Adam Jr. asked, "Can we go up with you and get the bread?"

"No." I whispered
"Why not?" he replied (not using his level 1 church voice)
"Because I said so." I whispered invoking my parental rights to not give a good reason if I just don't want to
"When can I go up and get bread?" He asked again.

I responded, whispering, that if his daddy and mommy decided they wanted him to be baptized then he could make his first communion, and then get bread. I reiterated, "You are not allowed to have bread at church if you are not baptized."

He pondered.

He looked quizzical.

He smiled...

"I know Jen, I am going to run home right after church, stick my head under the faucet in the bathroom, get myself baptized, and then run back here and get my bread!" He was triumphant!

And then I laughed, out loud and not in my church appropriate volume. I responded that we could talk about it on the walk home, and delighted in his imagination. Perhaps he is a budding priest or minister.