Our baby girl E’s comfort and pleasures revolve around our presence, particularly that of our toddler brother.

Ritualistic behavior like you are now witnessing, is your toddler’s way of maintaining control while asserting his new found independence in a safe and worry-free manner.  When your little one is faced with some type of change in his routine, he feels vulnerable, anxious and frustrated, so having control of even the smallest areas of his life right now means more than you’ll ever know.  Being denied the fulfillment experienced through rituals can do a number on your little one’s self-esteem, so remember that what you may see as monotonous, your toddler sees as peace-of-mind, and who’s to argue with a content toddler?  Certainly not me.
Shelley Feldman, “Your 22-month-old toddler (week 93)“, edHelperBaby

The above makes sense, what we suspected, and seems to be the consistent explanation.

“My do it”, regularly insists my toddler son.

The examples of this that stands out to me all relate to eating:

• He insists on putting the cap back on his milk bottle, so he can remove it himself, before he’ll consider drinking it.
• Food that he doesn’t want can’t stay on his plate. He puts it on my plate.
• If his fruit filled cereal bar breaks in two then he earnestly tries to put it back together, and ends up rejecting it in frustration.

Being part of my toddler’s world, witnessing what is instinctual and being part of his learning, gives me incredibly enjoyable and insights.

I feel that being a parent is already making me a better person. My son really is my greatest teacher.

With the launch of Gravatar Profiles (mine!), I’ve updated my avatar to a photo Sheri took of me using Matt’s gear at WordCamp SF, May 1st.

I’ve been braced since the beginning of February, and will continue to be for the next two years.

Bad is stronger than good. It is more important to eliminate the negative than to accentuate the positive.
Robert I. Sutton, “12 Things Good Bosses Believe“, Friday, May 28, 2010

There are interesting discussions in the comments on that article where people express finding the expression negative, and their need to focus on the good.

My interpretation of the expression is that it speaks to the power of bad to overwhelm good.

I can’t enjoy the good with bad present.

For myself, negative energy causes me to stumble. It drains me. And then I also become a conduit of the negative energy.

For me to reach higher I need to be surrounded by people feeling it, and supporting it.

Only in a positive, empathic environment, am I able to be my best.

"In Flames - Koh Tao june 2008" by Bart Hiddink, cc-by 2008

It was a last minute trip made possibly by our flexible schedules.

The conditions were incredible. A light layer of fresh snow on a solid base. Not windy. Sun poking through for much of the day. I’m told it was more winter skiing than spring.

There were no line ups. B made the point that people are already well into their spring thinking, and have left the mountains behind. The awesome sunny days we have had contributes too.

It was great to see so many elders skiing. You aren’t old, if you’re active.

It’s been many years since I last boarded, and I barely shook off the rust yesterday. Thankfully, my legs are not feeling too sore today.

It made me think of other favorite activities I’ve left behind, and how important for mind, body, and relationships, it is to do the activities each season. Of course, it also made me think of all the many new fantastic activities I now share with my family.