Shoes to Bed??

My grandmother past away when I was three months pregnant. I wanted her to meet her great grandchild very badly. You see if we would've had a girl, I was going to name her after my mamaw. She was so excited about the possibility of having a namesake. She had a feeling I was going to have a little boy. She tried to convince me to still name him after her because she had an Uncle that was named Joy. Can you imagine the rough life my boy would've had?

For those of you that know me closely, I think it would be fair to say that I am a stubborn person. And those of you that have had the great privilege to meet my mother and grandmother understand how I developed my stubbornness. I tell you this because I truly believe I have produced an offspring that is more stubborn than all three of us put together. And I can totally imagine my Mamaw up in heaven looking down on me loving every minute of Nekoda in action.

When Nekoda and I were at the park one night last week, I watched him climb his way up the twirly slide. He had a difficult time rounding the corners and making it to the top. He would scream out in frustration, but giving up never crossed his mind. When he finally looked back at me, I thought to myself, "Wow, he is just like his momma (stubborn to a fault some would say)."

Tonight when I was trying to get him to go to sleep, he decided he wanted to leave his shoes on when he laid down in bed. When I asked him if I could take his shoes off he replied with a sharp, "No." Well, I didn't feel like fighting him about this (since I have to fight with him to brush his teeth, change his diaper, etc.) But I wondered if I was making a bad decision as a parent by letting him have his way.

It seems family, as well as strangers have been giving me so much unsolicited advice since Nekoda has been born. I have been told that I need to get Nekoda checked for ADHD, Autism and speech problems. I have been told that Nekoda is high maintenance because he hasn't bonded to me. I've been told by my own mother that Nekoda has a behavioral problem and if I don't get a handle on it now I am going to be sorry. Keep in mind I was told this previous statement just after my husband told me he hasn't loved me for years and all I have been to him is an emotional and financial burden.

As I reflect on these comments, I have decided it doesn't matter what other people think. I have a strong-willed, creative and outgoing child whom I love beyond all measurable meaning. So if he wants to wear his shoes to bed, then I see no harm in it. Hopefully, he won't continue this practice into adulthood (or his future wife might have a few things to say about my parenting, lol). And as for everything else, I am going to take it one day at a time. And when people feel the need to stare at me or make unsolicited comments, I am going to simply reply, "I let him wear his shoes to bed too!"