"That’s my mommy!"

Every weekday, we parade to the bus stop. Usually with me pushing an empty stroller and 4 kids running circles around me. We always seem to rush there…and then wait.

There’s another family there with a little one in tow, younger than Lyds but a little bit bigger. And, Lydia has always liked her. “Where’s C?” “I see C!” always smiling at her antics.

Over the last couple months though, we’ve seen the instigator side of C. She is so stinkin’ cute, people, but she likes to push buttons. Her mommy knows it firsthand and is already wondering what the teenage years are going to be like. Oh boy.

C likes to put her hands on Lydia’s stroller and say, “My stroller!” which of course makes Lydia angry and yell back and a big ole toddler scene ensues. Ya’ll are no strangers to that scene, no doubt.

Lately, C has started something new. She comes right up to me, hugs my legs, looks at Lydia and says, “That’s my mommy!”

Uh oh. Not good.

(nervous laughter)

Lydia screaming, pushing, hanging on to whatever part of my leg she can grab around C’s grip.

“It’s okay, Lydia. I’m your mommy. C’s mommy is right over there. It’s okay. You tell C, ‘Your mommy is over there. This is my mommy.'”

C’s mother usually then picks her up and tries to distract her a bit. And, Lydia is all irritated and flustered for a good 15 minutes afterwards.

On Tuesday, Lydia was particularly flustered because Grammy was here, and C claimed Grammy too.

I’ve noticed that Lydia’s thinking about this more and more beyond those 15 minutes. Today, when I told her it was almost time to go get Drew off the bus, she told me, “But, Mommy, remember C is going to say, ‘That’s my Mommy!’ [in her baby voice]”

“I know that makes you upset. If she does do that, Lydia, what would be something you could say back to her?”

To which she responded…loudly…”YOU’RE CRAZY, C!!!!”

Well, I guess that works.