Power and Pesto

I came home a bit late from work the other night, and Tyson and Dalton were already in the kitchen working on making pizza for dinner. Dalton was standing on a stool with his hands wrapped around a container of pesto (we shun the traditional tomato-sauce pizza… too wet for home cooking).

D: I can open it?
T: Not yet honey.
D: I can open it?
T:Not yet honey, I need to finish spreading the dough first.
D: I can open it?
T: Sweetheart, count to five.
D: FIVE!
T: Fair enough, I didn't say count from 1 to 5. But I am going to take the pesto away now and give it back to you when it is time to open it.
D: And I will scoop it out because I am the teacher of eating!*

Dalton has been claiming teacher status often of late - and usually in a situation where he would prefer to have a little more power. I find it fascinating that he has not claimed the role of 'mommy' or 'daddy' but is completely comfortable telling me, "No, you don't sing it. I am the teacher, I sing the songs". It reminds me that two year olds are living a daily Catch-22: to learn about the world you have to interact with it, but as a two year old you have boundaries that your grown-ups are often not comfortable with, and so you are often told to stop or disengage. It is a useful reminder to create environments where I can say yes instead of no, and to have understanding for how overwhelming his emotional world can be (the good and the bad). Also, it is a good idea to keep pesto hidden if you want to cook with it (he ate about a quarter cup of straight pesto with a spoon after the pizzas were made).