Potty-training at gunpoint

First, let me start by saying that I don't really judge other people's parenting style. Each person is different, each kid is different, so parenting will always be different. Plus, I know we parent differently (if my mom yells at me about not putting Munchkin's hair up one more time, I might slap her), so I'm sure some people judge me. That's their right. The only time I really judge is if I see a potential to harm the child, short-term or long-term.

Seriously, though, has Freud taught us nothing? Alright, alright, I know a lot of his stuff has been laughed at, by me even (come on, Oedipus Complex anyone?). But I do believe he had a few things right - I fully believe in the Id, Ego and Superego. My views on psychology aside, why do these parents feel compelled to push their children to grow up too fast? Why must we potty train a child before they are even able to walk and talk? Why must we have "Your Baby Can Read" so our children can read Dickens at age three?

What good is this serving? You're only a kid once.

You can't wait to grow up and go to school. But when you're doing homework, you're longing back for the days when you spent the whole day just playing and watching TV.

You can't wait to get to middle school, where you change classes, ride the bus to school and have a locker. Once you're there, you hate half your teachers and long for the day when you had one teacher you loved all day long.

You can't wait to graduate from high school, to move onto the "real world." Once you're in the real world, you long to be back where your parents paid your bills and you didn't have to worry about the "disconnection notice" you just received in the mail.

I mean, really, it's all about hitting that next milestone, and once you do, you sort of look back and realize it wasn't so bad where you were before and wish those times lasted a little longer. So why would we want to push our children into the next phase of their lives before they are ready, before we are ready?

Tonight, when we got home, we let Munchkin go into our room to let Oscar out of the cage. Instead, she went up the ramp to the bed (it's there for the animals) and crawled onto my side of the bed, and pulled the covers up. She laid back on the pillow, then looked at me, patted the pillow next to me and said, "Mommy." It was seriously the most adorable thing ever. I laid down next to her and we just looked at each other. I reveled in her cuteness. And I realized that these days are fleeting. And by God, I'm going to enjoy them as long as I can. I do not want to take her childhood for granted, and I certainly hope when she grows up she doesn't think I did.

So what if she's going on two and isn't potty trained? (She's partway there, but I don't believe in pushing her.)

So what if she eats nothing but snack cheese, broccoli and fruit snacks one day?

So what if her hair is in her eyes because she hates having her hair messed with, so I let her run around with it wild, curly and free?

So what if I let her hang out in her pajamas all day?

So what if she doesn't read yet?

She's only a kid once. I feel the best thing I can do as a mother is to provide a loving environment for her, and make sure she grows up happy, and gets to enjoy the fun and innocence that comes with childhood. There's no need for a gun in potty training ... that comes when she's 16 and starts dating.