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.

At my in-laws’ place on the weekend, they put on Nana Mouskouri’s “Petit Garçon”, and lamented not having the English version “Old Toy Trains”, which they grow up listening to it at Christmas time on a reel-to-reel.

Here are lower quality recorders of both songs.

Nana is a singer who has recorded about 1,500 songs in 15 languages on 450 albums in a career spanning over five decades, making her one of the best-selling artists and highest selling female artist of all time. Incredible!

Nana Mouskouri’s singing feels familiar, but I can’t recall her being part of my family’s traditions growing up.

It took me a while to find the album with “Old Toy Train” on it. It’s “Christmas with Nana Mouskouri [IMPORT]“, not to be confused with “Nana Mouskouri – The Christmas Album“, which has Petit Garçon on it and about double the songs — though fewer of my wife’s favorites.

These songs are really enchanting. When I hear “old toy trains”, I think of new, but olden style wooden toy trains.

My wife’s mom recently got a used Brio train set for our 19 month old son. He is really enjoying it and continues to say “train” in excitement in his over pronounced way.

My co-worker Ryan, with two young boys of his own, shares in “Kid Gear”

Laying down wooden tracks and pushing wooden trains is favored over all of the electronic gizmos we’ve bought them.

Wooden trains bring back some of my oldest, fondest memories.