Growing up as a kid in the 80s, I was treated to what could be considered a great age in

TV sitcoms– The Cosby Show, Who’s The Boss, Family Ties, Growing Pains… and the list goes on… Like many other people my age, I was a huge fan of The Cosby Show, and I honestly couldn’t even begin to count how many lines I quote from the show, but there are a lot. I’m pretty sure you’re sitting there right now, thinking to yourself, “Nick, is there a point to this??” Obviously, the answer is no, I just wanted to tell you what my favorite shows were when I was younger… Of course there’s a point! For whatever reason, and I don’t know remember the season or the episode name, (If I did, I’d have the clip and the full quote on here) one scene and conversation has always stuck out in my head. I mean, aside from the classic “I brought you in this world, and I’ll take you out!” The scene has Cliff and a soon-to-be dad, Mr. Lee, talking in his office. The conversation goes something like this:

Mr. Lee: “I’m an old fashioned guy. I want my wife barefoot and pregnant. My wife and that baby are gonna know.. I’M the boss.”                                                                                        Cliff: “Mr. Lee, I’m sorry, but you are not the boss.”                                                                  Mr. Lee: “Doc, I’m tellin you, I’m the boss!”                                                                               Cliff: “No, that BABY is the boss!”

So what does this have to do with me, or more importantly, with Sophia? Good question, I’m glad you asked. Now put your hand down. No, seriously, PUT YOUR HAND DOWN, I’m not taking any more questions. The simple answer is this: Sophia is the boss. It doesn’t matter what I say, or what I do, or what Sarah says or does… Sophia runs our lives. Every single facet of our lives is controlled by a 16-month-old little girl. Sure, every now and then she’ll let us think that we have a say in what we do, but in reality, she’s just toying with us. How can a 16-month-old run my life, you ask? Just thinking about the ways I can answer that question leaves me exhausted.

Day-to-day what she wants to do tends to differ, but they all have the same theme: “this is where we’re going because I want to or this is what I’m doing with my food whether you like it or not”. Really, it’s just that at the age she is now, she is very determined to do what she wants, whether or not Sarah and I are on board with that choice or not. Let’s run through a few examples of what I assume is Sophia’s thought process in a few given situations (also, I’m pretty sure I can update these thoughts when she’s a teenager and really, there won’t be much difference):

• “The gate to the kitchen is shut and locked, that must mean Mommy and Daddy want me to shake it uncontrollably until they come open it for me.”
• “I’m still hungry and there’s food still on my tray, BUT the dogs REALLY want to eat it too, so I’ll just slide my arms back and forth on the tray and shoot food everywhere for them. Mommy and Daddy will just laugh at me!”
• “Yes, it is 2am and I’m exhausted, but I don’t wanna be in this crib anymore. Let me just stand up and cry until I wake Mommy or Daddy (probably Daddy) up. And then when they get me, I’ll cry every time they lay me down just so they’ll bring me in and let me lay in bed with them. They LOVE to cuddle!”
• “OHHH look, the doggies are eating their dinner, let me just pick their bowl up and throw it and their food all over the kitchen. It will be a game of FIND THE FOOD!”

Yes, that is only a few examples, but those are really the day-to-day, repetitive ones that have been happening a lot lately. We can throw in her saying “No” to everything, which I actually find hilariously adorable, especially when I ask for a kiss and she turns her head and says “NO!” I can’t be mad at her for not wanting to kiss a boy yet! Let’s hope that never changes!

Some of you may take this as me complaining, I’m not. It’s all part of the adventures of watching your little girl grow up and learn something new every day. It really is amazing to see how quickly she has picked up on things and learns how to overcome obstacles. It really makes me proud to be a parent. I love teaching her something new every day, whether it’s to give me a high five or to shout “BOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW” as loud as she can right after I do, it’s just awesome.

Speaking of teaching her awesome things, here’s a video of one of those awesome new things in motion:

That’s all for now, my loyal readers. I’ll try to get some more pictures and videos up soon. Next week brings “Sophia goes to the Zoo” and “Sophia touches everything at the Please Touch Museum”. Until then, Like, Comment, and Share!