Operation Owen

I am an excellent parent from 0-1 year and approximately 10 months. I excel at meeting basic, human needs. I am a master of walking the fine line between loving parent and strict disciplinarian for any child under 1 year and approximately 10 months.

After 1 year and appriximately 10 months, as I learned in recent days watching Owen change from perfectly obedient son to diabolically naughty bad boy, I have no idea what to do. It doesn't help that Owen almost weighs as much as I do, but it has become increasingly difficult to get him to do anything he doesn't want to do. And apparently, there are a lot of things he doesn't want to do.

"No!" He said when I asked him to change his shirt.

"No! Eave me awone!" He said when Norm tried to put him in timeout.

"I hit you!" He said as he slapped me across the face when I tried to stop him from running into the parking lot.

Josie watched all of the aforementioned events with quiet intrigue. She sat back and studied his behavior. She behaved extremely well, especially after Owen hit me outside of Safeway. She waited by my side until the tantrum was over and walked by my side right to the car, even though I wasn't able to hold her hand. My hands were otherwise occupied trying to contain the 40 lb bucking bull that was trying to get free from my arms.

When I put Owen in the carseat, Josie got right into hers. While I was jamming my elbow into Owen's stomach to get leverage so I could buckle his carseat, Josie put her arms through and tried to do the buckles herself. I went over and helped her while Owen wailed in the background and kicked the seat in front of him.

As I drove home from Safeway, I watched in the rear view mirror as Josie stared at her brother with admiring eyes. She stretched her arms out, leaned her head back and looked pensiveley out the window, reveling in her sweet success. Operation corrupt Owen was completed and he was exceeding her expectations.