Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk

I have a hefty goal. I want to teach my kid (soon to be kidS) a very important lesson. I see the benefits of them cleaning up after themselves, being polite, and sharing- but I KNOW the benefits of teaching them not to sweat the small stuff. In my family, and in generations of most families, this has not been an emphasized skill- so I'm forging new territory. In fact, I'm still a relative newbie at the whole idea. 

This morning we got a perfect lesson. It is the lesson of the proverbial and literal spilled milk...

My wonderful 2.5 year old C not only insisted she get a splash of half and half in her morning drink like Mr. P has, but she wanted to drink the liquid that I know to cause stickiness and a pretty gnarly stench if left too long, from a big cup- no sippy lid. I'm relaxed, not stupid, so the deal was she had to drink at the table. As I chatted with my mom on the phone I watched at least half the drink spread across the table and C began one of her favorite morning activities- finger painting with it. When she finished, the remains  tracked into the tv room and onto the rug. 

At this point I pointed out that the milk got a little messy ("yeah, messy" she agreed). Luckily she also likes to "clean" so I gave her some paper towels and let her start spreading it about before I stepped in with my green spray and nonchalantly "really cleaned." And here's where I got proud- as we wiped up together, she said "all clean, no big deal."  No. Big. Deal. I try to throw it in as much as possible. Yes, there are big deals in her world- going in the street without a grown up, being gentle with little babies, etc. But for the most part, pretty much everything ends up being "no big deal." And it seems to be sinking in for her. 

Also, she rode a roller coaster yesterday, which I've never done- I gave birth to awesome sauce!