No Pat No

Have you ever read "Hop on Pop", by Dr. Suess? There is a page that shows a bear type of animal attempting to sit on a cactus. His name is Pat. On the previous page we learn that Pat sits on lots of things like hats, cats, bats etc. So, when Pat gets ready to sit on the cactus the other creature shouts, "No Pat NO, don't sit on That!" My kids love this page. They think it is friggin hilarious. I think it helps them to exude some power over Pat. They don't get told "No" very often (see upcoming post about parenting without the word no...) so being able to freely yell at Pat is uplifting.

It has bled into other parts of our lives though. The other day Max was beginning to write on the wall with his soy bean crayon (a definite no-no) and while I would redirect him and tell him we only draw and color on paper (a way to say no without using the word) Madeleine was yelling, "No Max NO... No Max NO.... NoNo Max NO".

And, so it starts....