Super Nanny need not apply
We were flipping through the channels looking for yet another show on lemurs or zebras or some animal, when we stumbled on “Super Nanny.”If you’ve been spared, “Super Nanny” is one of those reality TV shows where an expert comes in and helps the hopeless with a healthy dose of common sense, raised eyebrows and “a my-way-or-the-highway” approach to all situations.
Anyway, on the show a little boy, about 3, was in full meltdown. The reason? They had taken away his bottles and he was going cold turkey.
We watched as he lay on the kitchen floor, crying his eyes out while his mom looked like she was ready to join him.
I guess that someone along the way had decided that it was high time for him to give up his bottle habit. There was probably a good reason, like it was going to impact his SAT scores. Frankly, I’m a big fan of picking your battles with 3-year-olds and bottles are not even in the top 10. Yelling, hitting, sure. Bottles, not so much.
I turned to Mireya, who is 6 and was watching this with some interest.
“So what do you think? What should they do?”
“Well,” she said thoughtfully. “I think they should give them back.” She paused for a moment. “But you know, I can’t really say anything about it because I still drink from a bottle.”
“Actually it’s a sippy cup,” I clarified.
“Still ...” she said with a sigh.
I was pretty proud of her for recognizing that she couldn’t be objective. She could teach something to most of the television newscasters and a few politicians.
Needless to say, we won’t be inviting the Super Nanny over to our house anytime soon. I imagine she’d have all of us on the kitchen floor or sitting on naughty stools, trying to think of a way to sneak outside and retrieve our most cherished bits of childhood — even if we are big girls now.
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NOTE: At the start of November, I ask my children to tell me something everyday they are thankful for — with no repeats. We are up to mice and chocolate milk. This year, I’d like to hear what your children are thankful for and feature them in Crib Notes on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Post them here or email them to me at cribnotes (at) gmail.com
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