Wiener (dog)

Dear Biscuit & Sparkly Watermelon,
Today is St. Patrick's Day. It is also the day you very seriously asked me, "Mama, what is a wiener?"

After frantically running through your classmates in my head, trying to figure out who said this word at school today, I started to define "slang word" to you. You listened as I gave innocuous examples. You seemed to understand the concept.

I hesitantly explained that wiener was slang for hotdog, hoping that would end this line of questioning for now. This took me at least 5 minutes which is a month in preschooler time.

After this you seemed exasperated. "No, Mama! I MEAN. WHAT
(Speaking as though I'm obviously not getting it)
IS
A
WIENER








DOG?"

Seriously?!? Whew! I was ready to call your school.

Although not quite this mature, we've been having more and more conversations about "growing up"- both positive things (going to big kid school, "best" friends) and those that are not so fun (managing a spat with a friend, dealing with a friend who hurts you). It's difficult to navigate sometimes, providing guidance and a good example while also letting you experiment on your own; allowing room for you to succeed (or fail) on your own while providing a safe place to land. For me, finding this balance has been the toughest part of being your parent. I know there are much more challenging things to come, and I will probably make every mistake in the parenting playbook.

Maybe we can be a safe place to land for each other?

All my love,
Mama