Pants'd

Have you ever heard of being pants'd? It's when someone walks up to you and pulls your pants down in front of everybody. It's embarrassing for you, but funny for everybody else. I kind of feel like I'm getting pants'd everyday.

One of Amanda's new ideas of independence is that she isn't going to hold my hand in parking lots anymore. I'm not sure why, probably because the big kids don't always do it so she doesn't think she has to do it. It sort of makes sense, but since she's only two I haven't been able to scare the bejeezus out of her about what a car could really do to her, and after being lectured on the importance of watching for cars and holding our hands about a million times the older kids are usually very good in parking lots.

I remember my mom telling me that when I was about Amanda's age, she had a really bad back and couldn't pick me up. So she would tell me to hold onto her skirt, or the shopping cart, or whatever was close by so that I didn't run away. Although I don't wear skirts, I thought it still might work so I always give Amanda the choice to hold my hand or my pants/shorts. She has to do one. She's cool with that, and lately almost always picks my pants.

I'm happy that she is complying and not running like a maniac through parking lots, but it's not very fun to have a 30 pound two-year-old hanging from your pants. She's not trying to hang, it's just that she doesn't walk that fast so I always feel like I'm dragging her. It's one thing to be dragging her by the hand, a totally different feeling if to be dragging her by my pant leg. When I'm really lucky I've got Sarah hanging onto one side and Amanda on the other. Somebody is probably just waiting to see my underwear.

It's a little slow going and most days my pants aren't as clean as they should be, but it's a compromise that works for both of us and we don't have any fits in the parking lot anymore. At least not getting out of the car, getting into the car is a whole other post entirely.