I talk to my kids, and you should, too.

Well, I mean, not necessarily to mine, although you can if you want to. Really, you should talk to yours.

I wasn't feeling all that good, and didn't want to make the trip all the way across town to my usual grocery store, so I just hit up the Commissary for the final half of this month's groceries. It was the first time in months that I'd been in the Commissary (I was trying to get used to civilian shopping, which, I guess, is kind of a moot point now that we won't be losing our benefits anytime soon!) and I was surprised by a couple things.

For one, they way I saw other people treat their kids, in about 70% of cases, was appalling. Yelling, yanking, "GET OVER HERE!", "SHUT UP!" You name it. It was total rubbish. I don't care how many kids you have, or how bad they're acting up, that does not solve the problem. It makes it worse. I have a 7-year-old drama queen of my very own, so I understand how kids can be, but I also understand that yelling and commanding does absolutely nothing.

For another. I would like to know why people looked at me like I was nuts for talking with Orren. Do I really expect him to answer me back when I ask him how many packets of frozen raspberries he thinks we need? Well, no, but someday soon, he might count them out with me as I load them into the cart, because he's heard it enough times to learn. No, he doesn't tell me if he likes this asparagus or that one, but he tries to say "asparagus", which isn't bad for a guy who's just shy of two years old. Plus, if you notice, my kid isn't one who's pitching a fit. He also DOES talk back some! He said, "Mom? Bana, pweae?" (Mom, banana please) when we walked past the bananas, and he got to pick out his bananas. He was happy. Kids like to be heard, especially little kids who just realized that they have an opinion on stuff. Why am I the nutjob for realizing this, and talking to my son? So what if he's little? He's still a full fledged person, and can be an active participant in his day.

Some would allege that I'm spoiling him because he gets choices, but he's just so much happier that way. He may not like to sit in a grocery cart for as long as it takes to get everything we need, but he doesn't mind it if he gets to help pick out the fruits and veggies. He may not like to slow down for a diaper change, but he doesn't mind it so much if he gets to choose what color diaper he puts on (we are working on colors with him right now. He knows 12 body parts already, and a few animal sounds, so we're still working on animal sounds, but also on colors). He may not want to drink water when he asked for juice, but when he gets to choose what color cup he wants, he'll go for it sometimes. Kids love to have choices, and they love to be acknowledged.

I can tell you one thing for sure. There is nothing wrong with having a conversation with a 2-year-old. Someday, they'll answer you back.