Repetition...

   Raising toddlers is all about repetition.  You find yourself saying the same things over and over again all day.  In fact, there are times when I feel like I should just record myself saying "get your finger out of your nose, " "stop hitting your brother/sister," "and for the love of God, where are your pants?"  That way, I could just hit a button on my smart phone instead of repeating myself 5,000 times a day.  I am sure they have an app for that. It should be called  the "exhausted mommy" app.  Maybe I should invent that, except, I am sure it is already out there.  Maybe you can even program Siri to boss your children around. But I have a droid, not an i phone, so it wouldn't help me anyway...I frequently wonder, how many times will I have to say this before it actually sticks?I know I am not alone, but some days it is enough to push you over the edge.  The repetition is also two fold, I have to repeat myself all day long, but Colin has also reached an age where he will repeat the same phrase over and over again until you acknowledge him in some way.  Colin "Mommy, Molly wants milk...Mommy, Molly wants milk...Mommy, Molly wants milk."  There is no break between these statements, but I will jump in after about the third time and say "OK Colin, Molly wants milk."  I admit, for some reason, it just grates on my nerves. I remember talking to my brother on the phone when his son was Colin's age.  Jack just kept interrupting with the same question over and over again. "Daddy, what time is it? Daddy, what time is it?  Daddy, what time is it?"  My brother finally responds with "It's 3:32 Jack, do have a pressing appointment with your lawyer or something?"  I thought it was funny then, now, after kids, I really understand my brother's frustration.  I text more than I call my friends.  It is just easier.  As soon as you get on the phone, you become a target for the toddler verbal diarrhea phenomenon.  This is characterized by one of them standing at your feet, tugging on your pants, and asking you something completely unimportant just to get you attention away from the telephone conversation.  They will persist, until you take the phone away from your ear, with apologies to who ever you have on the phone, and finally acknowledge their question with a "yes Colin, what can I do for you?"  Colin "oh, I don't remember, can I have some juice?"  For some reason, this repetition wears me out more than a hard day on the playground.  I try to answer with patience, but I fear I will raise two very smart aleck  children, just like myself.  In the end, questions are how children learn, and I never want to squelch that behavior.  So instead, I will continue to answer the endless questions, and continue repeating myself 5,000 times a day, because that is what mommies do...and occasionally they have a glass of wine to take the edge off the repetition.