Fight Club

Isaac and I are having our first fight and I am not sure who is winning. Isaac has recently discovered the dog food and he will do anything in this power to get to that dang dog bowl. It is actually quite impressive that he remembers exactly where it is everyday of the week. I know this because anytime you put him on the floor he starts heading directly for it. He could be in his room (which is at least 30 feet away) and he knows where exactly to go. Not only does he know where to go but as soon as he rounds the kitchen island and the bowl is in sight… he speeds up!!! So… over and over we have to tell him “No-No” but thus far this tactic does not seem to be working. Instead of listening, he does this whiney cry of disgust because his mean parents won’t let him eat the dog food. (of course, Oscar could care less!). Everyday we have this fight and started to think “Oh no… what are we going to do?” Luckily, I recently read an article that said the following:
“Your baby now understands simple instructions, though she may purposely choose to ignore you when you say "no." (To help the word carry a little more weight, use it sparingly, for setting important limits.) Even though your baby may not always remember tomorrow what you've said today, it's not too soon to set certain boundaries and start teaching her some important distinctions, like right from wrong and safe from unsafe. Her desire to explore is stronger than her desire to listen to your warnings, so it's up to you to protect and teach her. What seems to be defiance is just her natural curiosity to see how the world works.”
This article is what is keeping us going. Hopefully one day (soon) he will realize that we are not mean parents because we don’t want him to eat dog food and our first fight will be over!