I must be doing something right

Yesterday, I was doing my momma duties and searching for an article on how to pick out the best shoes for your toddler.  Yes, Brooke has been wearing shoes for a year now, but I've only ever had to pick the style - we go to Stride Rite and have her sized.  I received an ad in the mail that Ideal Baby & Kids is having a GREAT shoe sale the rest of this month and Brooke happens to need new shoes (another post in and of itself, ha), so I decided I better figure this out.

Anyway, I digress.  While reading an article that tells me exactly how to fit shoes on my girl (thank you, WebMD!), another article caught my eye - Does your Toddler say "no"?  Boy, oh boy, does she ever!  (More on this in a minute). I have to share with you what the article said.

The article was several years old but quite interesting - basically, someone somewhere did a study (don't they always) and looked at things like a mom's interactions with the child during playtime, mom's discipline, mom's tendency for depression, and the child's behavior.  They found that - drumroll, please! - mothers who support kids during play and don't show signs of depression have toddlers that say no more often.  Mothers who are less supportive, more likely to yell, and show signs of depression have children that simply ignore their requests.

Wait, time out, WHAT?!  You mean I'm a good mom because my child is defiant? I'm a good mom because when I tell my daughter it's time to eat, brush her teeth, pick up toys, get out of the bath, etc., she says, "No!"  I'm a good mom because she says No! whenever she doesn't want to do something?

Turns out, I must be doing something right.  Basically, the thought is that the moms with depression, etc., have children who simply don't respond to their mothers' requests (and I would have assumed there was something wrong with the child's hearing) - they are too afraid to say "no" and get yelled at. Essentially, in my own terms, those children have their independence quashed during a time when they so desperately need it as they begin to figure out themselves and the world and they become overly passive.

In fact, I must be doing something really right because Brooke is definitely not afraid to express her opinion (to us anyway)!