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My baby, the liar.

1
For months now, people have told me how bright and alert my one-year-old little man, TJ, is. People have approached me in coffee shops to say so.

I should hope so too given the amount of brain-boosting foods I consumed during pregnancy – I am off avocado and spinach salad for life.

Little did I know, however, that his increasing intelligence would be used as a weapon against me.

TJ is a manipulative little faker. A gorgeous, amazing and immensely entertaining one – but still he could easily have a career as an actor ahead of him.

It

SelfishMother.com
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started a few months ago. I picked TJ up from nursery and his (fabulous) carer described TJ as an “angel baby” who hadn’t cried all day. I was in shock – particularly when she told me that he had settled himself to sleep in the cot without protest. This had never happened at home, and still hasn’t.

Such theatrics appear to this day in a variety of forms.

TJ skipped over the crawling milestone. The poor little dude just didn’t seem to grasp the concept and it was a sorry sight. He repeatedly tried to get himself in position and push off

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– but it always ended in frustrated tears as he planked on the floor and needed my help to pick him back up.

So imagine my surprise the other day when I briefly left TJ playing with his toys and returned to see him happily sitting upright playing with his toys – but in a completely different spot from where I had carefully placed him. I need to have the baby monitor permanently on to find out what really happened at times like this.

A similar occasion happened at nursery (again). TJ woke up from one of those lovely, long naps which he never has

SelfishMother.com
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when he’s at home with me and greeted his carer by standing up in the cot having pulled himself up. I don’t think I need to spell it out that such activities have also never happened while TJ has been in my presence.  

TJ turns to me for assistance whenever he wants to move. We have spent hours and hours finger walking around our home, around cafes and around baby groups. On the plus side, he’s getting ever so good at it so maybe a taste of independence (for us both!) is just around the corner!

Meal times should be a source of sustenance and

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smiles for babies like TJ, who loves his food and has a rounded belly to prove it. But, every once in a while, TJ decides meal time is only a source of sadness and cries. When he was smaller, I had to resort to forcing the food into his mouth when he opened it to sob. Along the way, I have tried feeding him on my lap, feeding him on the sofa, feeding him in any way I can think of to avoid the crying. When I asked his nursery carers if this has ever happened for them the answer was no, obviously.

You get the picture, so I won’t go into the details

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about the not too dissimilar dramas of getting dressed, nappy changes and wrestling TJ into the car seat or pram.

Maybe I have spoiled TJ too much so he knows what he can get away with around me and how much I am willing to do for him. That’s going to be a hard cycle to break if so. But, can you blame me for it when all I want to do is avoid tantrums, tears or, even worse, an injury.

Yes, I know that babies show their true emotions around those they are most comfortable with – and that would be me. Quite rightly so, considering he grew inside

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me. But I would love it if that close bond we honestly do share meant a jot less stress and a lot more of TJ’s smiles which simply make my heart melt.
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- 4 Nov 16

For months now, people have told me how bright and alert my one-year-old little man, TJ, is. People have approached me in coffee shops to say so.

I should hope so too given the amount of brain-boosting foods I consumed during pregnancy – I am off avocado and spinach salad for life.

Little did I know, however, that his increasing intelligence would be used as a weapon against me.

TJ is a manipulative little faker. A gorgeous, amazing and immensely entertaining one – but still he could easily have a career as an actor ahead of him.

It started a few months ago. I picked TJ up from nursery and his (fabulous) carer described TJ as an “angel baby” who hadn’t cried all day. I was in shock – particularly when she told me that he had settled himself to sleep in the cot without protest. This had never happened at home, and still hasn’t.

Such theatrics appear to this day in a variety of forms.

TJ skipped over the crawling milestone. The poor little dude just didn’t seem to grasp the concept and it was a sorry sight. He repeatedly tried to get himself in position and push off – but it always ended in frustrated tears as he planked on the floor and needed my help to pick him back up.

So imagine my surprise the other day when I briefly left TJ playing with his toys and returned to see him happily sitting upright playing with his toys – but in a completely different spot from where I had carefully placed him. I need to have the baby monitor permanently on to find out what really happened at times like this.

A similar occasion happened at nursery (again). TJ woke up from one of those lovely, long naps which he never has when he’s at home with me and greeted his carer by standing up in the cot having pulled himself up. I don’t think I need to spell it out that such activities have also never happened while TJ has been in my presence.  

TJ turns to me for assistance whenever he wants to move. We have spent hours and hours finger walking around our home, around cafes and around baby groups. On the plus side, he’s getting ever so good at it so maybe a taste of independence (for us both!) is just around the corner!

Meal times should be a source of sustenance and smiles for babies like TJ, who loves his food and has a rounded belly to prove it. But, every once in a while, TJ decides meal time is only a source of sadness and cries. When he was smaller, I had to resort to forcing the food into his mouth when he opened it to sob. Along the way, I have tried feeding him on my lap, feeding him on the sofa, feeding him in any way I can think of to avoid the crying. When I asked his nursery carers if this has ever happened for them the answer was no, obviously.

You get the picture, so I won’t go into the details about the not too dissimilar dramas of getting dressed, nappy changes and wrestling TJ into the car seat or pram.

Maybe I have spoiled TJ too much so he knows what he can get away with around me and how much I am willing to do for him. That’s going to be a hard cycle to break if so. But, can you blame me for it when all I want to do is avoid tantrums, tears or, even worse, an injury.

Yes, I know that babies show their true emotions around those they are most comfortable with – and that would be me. Quite rightly so, considering he grew inside me. But I would love it if that close bond we honestly do share meant a jot less stress and a lot more of TJ’s smiles which simply make my heart melt.

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