Four!: Red Light, Green Light

Red Light, Green Light

It should be well established by now that Madeus does most everything on his own terms. What amazes me is how he knows confidently when he is ready. It seems to be a childhood gift, one I wish I still possessed, where second-guessing and insecurity have no room in decision making.

He got up and started walking without a second thought at 9 1/2 months.

He decided to potty train himself a week before we were moving and driving cross country. His beloved pacifier was a bit trickier. He decided to trade it at the store for a new car. In his sleep that night he dreamed he couldn’t find it, and had one cry-filled plea. But that was it. No second guessing, no back slides.

And most recently, he decided to use a symbol cue system to communicate his process, “red light, green light”.

He still wore pull-ups at night until last January. And I would ask him often if he was ready for underwear. I am the one who always gets nervous about “when” he would do a transition. But he told me, “I will say red light when I am not ready, when I am ready, green light.”  Sure enough, each day he would tell me red light, and then after about a week, one day I was putting him to bed and he said, “green light”. And that was it. No middle ground, no going back, no second guessing, no insecurity.

Madeus pre wheels off. I as a bit busy after! But there is video.

His latest conquest was the bike. He received a bike for Christmas with training wheels. It is a little big for him but I thought he could probably ride it without the training wheels. But the idea overwhelmed me a bit, “How will it happen? When will I happen? Am I pushing him?” He said he did not want to ride without the training wheels. I said, “Ok but you are ready to do this. When you are ready tell me green light and we will do it.” 

Well later on in the same day, he was going to the bathroom and he yelled for me to come. All he said was, “Green light”. “Right now?” I asked. “Yes”, he said “right now”. So not to lose momentum, and as an example of the beauty of my husband, Michael rushed home early from work and took those training wheels off. We all hurried to the park. And sure enough, that little man rode his bike for the first time, without training wheels. It was one of my favorite milestones to experience thus far and a memory I will always hold tight.

Maybe I need a red light, green light system. No in-betweens. No constant analysis. No insecurity. Just confidence.