Lessons From a Two-Year-Old

My son is about to turn two, and I have been thinking lately that he pretty much has all the secrets to life figured out.

Ask For What You Want
My son has no problem asking for what he wants. And, if he doesn't get the answer he wants he just asks someone else. For example, "Mommy, I want fwoot throw-up." "No, Dylan. You already had a fruit roll up and dinner is in ten minutes." (pause) "Daddy, I want fwoot throw-up." He also has decided that another strategy for changing the answer No to the answer Yes is to simply move in closer and ask again—sometimes his lips will be practically touching mine with his request.

Believe in Yourself
As I chronicled in YAY Me!, My son loves to celebrate his every accomplishment. He also simply believes he can do anything, including mow the lawn, climb on the table, cut his food with a knife, cook dinner, and put his shoes on. He is not deterred by facts like age or size or the likelihood that something is just out of his league—if he sets his sights on it, he goes for it.

Be Curious
"Mommy, what's that? What's THAT? What's that sound? Whoz that? Let's checit out. What you doing? Oh. Why?" He literally never stops trying to discover and uncover. Only sleep stops him from exploring the world and everything in it.

Life is Better With a Soundtrack
I am not sure if it's a good or bad thing that both my son and daughter can't get enough of the song "Call Me Maybe," but one thing I do know—my son believes that every occasion is the right occasion to sing or dance. His current rendition of "You Are My Sunshine" fills me to the brim.

So, in summary, the rules of life according to Dylan are to ask for what you want, believe in yourself, be curious, and make any moment better with a song. Sounds about right to me.

How can you live like a two-year-old today?

Interested in having Erika’s blog come directly to your e-mail each Tuesday? Have comments to share?  E-mail her at erika@tlpnyc.com.