I brought him downstairs and brought him some cereal. He pushed the bowl away and I asked "what's wrong? bạn don't like this kind?" He climbed out of the chair and walked over to the countertop. I turned around and asked "what?" He pointed to the cookie jar and đã đưa ý kiến "those." I stood up and đã đưa ý kiến "you can't have bánh quy, cookie for breakfast silly!" He looked at me and đã đưa ý kiến "yes!" I đã đưa ý kiến "not this early" and he repeated "yes!"
I picked him up and tried to get him focused on something other than the cookies. I brought him back to the bàn and đã đưa ý kiến "here's your cereal." He đã đưa ý kiến "cookies" and I đã đưa ý kiến "let me check to see if there's a different kind of cereal." I turned around to look in the cupboard and then I heard something hit the ground.
I looked behind me and noticed that Christian's bowl of cereal was spilled out all over the floor. I walked over to it with paper towels and started to clean up the mess. I looked up at Christian and asked "you didn't throw your bowl on the floor; did you?" He đã đưa ý kiến "I don't want that; I want cookies!" I sighed and đã đưa ý kiến "look at the mess bạn made Christian!" He đã đưa ý kiến "I want bánh quy, cookie daddy!" I đã đưa ý kiến "I told bạn no Christian."
He didn't like the idea of me telling him no and when I came back into the phòng bếp, nhà bếp his facial expression showed his irritation. I picked him up and cheerfully đã đưa ý kiến "someone's grumpy. We can have bánh quy, cookie later; I promise!" He asked "why won't bạn give me a cookie?" I đã đưa ý kiến "because I don't want bạn to have a cookie. Do bạn want an apple?" He crossed his arms đã đưa ý kiến "no!"
When I went to giường that night, I couldn't believe how out of the ordinary Christian was acting. I'm hoping a good night’s sleep will put him in a better mood. I definitely wasn't expecting what happened today. That's not like him at all.
***
I was just walking through the door after a long ngày of work, when I saw Christian and my mother in the living room. I walked in and my mother didn't look happy. I sat down tiếp theo to her on the đi văng and asked "how was your day?" She sighed and đã đưa ý kiến "Christian hit me today." I almost didn't want to believe her because the idea of Christian hitting anybody seemed so crazy! I asked "what did bạn do about it?" She đã đưa ý kiến "nothing; you're his father. Enforcing discipline is your job; not mine Michael. I'm going to head trang chủ now; see bạn after the weekend."
She shut the door behind her as she left and I just stared at Christian with a blank look on my face. I didn't know what I should say hoặc do because I didn't think I would be faced with something like this. I di chuyển myself closer to him on the đi văng and we sat there in awkward silence for a few minutes. I quietly đã đưa ý kiến "it wasn't very nice for bạn to hit grandma. Why would bạn hit her?" He didn't answer me because he was distracted bởi the TV. I asked with an unsure tone of voice "you don't want to have to be put in timeout; do you?"
The một giây I đã đưa ý kiến that, he burst out into tears and ran out of the room. I immediately chased after him and caught up with him at the end of the hallway. I knelt down in front of him and sincerely asked "what's wrong?" He uncontrollably shook as he continued to cry and đã đưa ý kiến "no hit me daddy please don't!!!" I asked "hit you? Why would I do that?" I was about to pick him up when he pulled away and I felt terrible.
He ran upstairs and I walked into his room to see his feet sticking out from underneath the bed. I crawled underneath the giường and đã đưa ý kiến "hey; it's okay Christian." He asked "you won't hit me?" My eyes started to water and I đã đưa ý kiến "I would never hit you; EVER!" He đã đưa ý kiến "mommy hit me when I was with her!" I pulled him out from underneath the giường and đã đưa ý kiến "that's not what a normal mommy hoặc daddy does Christian! bạn don't have to worry about her anymore buddy! I don't think it was right for bạn to hit grandma either though." He responded "I call her and say sorry." I đã đưa ý kiến "I think that's a good idea."
We went downstairs and I dialed her phone number. I put it on speaker phone and she đã đưa ý kiến "hello." I đã đưa ý kiến "hi mother; it's Michael and Christian has something he'd like to say to you." Christian đã đưa ý kiến "sorry grandma" she đã đưa ý kiến "thank bạn for saying you're sorry. I hope daddy told bạn that it's not nice to hit." I đã đưa ý kiến "I think we've come to an understanding. We'll let bạn go now because I have to get bữa tối, bữa ăn tối started; bye." She đã đưa ý kiến "goodbye; see bạn Monday."
***
My bodyguard Tim was excited to introduce me to his sister and niece because they are in town for the weekend. I told him that he doesn't need to come into work so he will be able to spend time with his family; but he insisted on at least coming in for an giờ because his sister is a huge người hâm mộ of mine.
Tim, his sister, and his niece arrived at around 10 o'clock in the morning and I đã đưa ý kiến "you must be Jessica; it's nice to meet you!" She hugged me and đã đưa ý kiến "I've loved bạn since I was a little girl! I tình yêu the new album! I saw bạn on the tour at your Louisiana show!" I đã đưa ý kiến "thanks for supporting me; I hope bạn enjoyed the show!" She đã đưa ý kiến "of course I enjoyed the hiển thị Michael!"
I looked at the little girl she held in her arms and asked "how old is she? What's her name?" Jessica đã đưa ý kiến "this is my daughter Sarah; she turned two a few months ago." I grabbed Christian from the bàn and đã đưa ý kiến "this is my son Christian; he turned three two weeks ago."
I put Christian on the ground tiếp theo to Sarah and he immediately hid behind me. I đã đưa ý kiến "I bet Sarah would like to play with bạn Christian." He clung to my leg and Jessica asked "are bạn shy?" I chuckled and đã đưa ý kiến "yeah he is." Sarah đã đưa ý kiến "mommy bathroom" Jessica asked "can I use your bathroom Michael?" I đã đưa ý kiến "of course bạn can. It's right over there."
Afterwards, I asked "she's toilet trained already?" Jessica asked "yeah; isn't Christian?" I đã đưa ý kiến "no; I wasn't even thinking about that." Just as we were getting into the conversation, Tim đã đưa ý kiến "Jessica; we don't want to miss our lunch reservation." She picked up Sarah and đã đưa ý kiến "thank bạn for letting me meet bạn Michael!" I đã đưa ý kiến "I'm glad I got to meet bạn too; have fun this weekend Tim." He đã đưa ý kiến "I will Mike; thanks for the time off!"
I was getting Christian ready for giường after getting him bathed and decided to hint at getting rid of the diapers. I đã đưa ý kiến "maybe it's time for bạn to be a big boy." He looked at me like I was crazy and I asked "you don't want to learn to use the potty?" He whispered "no" and quickly tried to change the subject. He đã đưa ý kiến "I want a snack daddy!" I quickly đã đưa ý kiến "I'll get bạn a snack in a minute. bạn really don't want to be a big boy?" He didn't answer me and I đã đưa ý kiến "well; I'd be glad if bạn did! I don't think bạn want to be wearing those anymore; do you? Those are for babies; don't bạn want to be a big boy?" He whispered "no" again and I decided to drop it to think about it for a while.
***
I was woken up bởi a knock at the door. I came downstairs and answered the door. I was shocked to see Rosemary standing there. I immediately asked "you're not going to take him back are you?" "She laughed and đã đưa ý kiến "of course not Michael; I'm just required to make a surprise evaluation to make sure I made the right decision with letting bạn adopt Christian. I'm supposed to give bạn an in-depth background of Christian's history. I figured I would come stop bởi unexpectedly early enough in the morning; so Christian isn't awake yet. I only need to ask him a few các câu hỏi when he wakes up and until then bạn and I can have a conversation about his past."
I got the two of us some coffee and we went into the living room. I have to admit that I'm curious to hear about where Christian came from and how he got to the point of being in foster care. I passed her the cup of coffee and she looked like she was about to cry. She đã đưa ý kiến "first of all, I can't thank bạn enough for taking Christian and giving him the trang chủ that he deserves because I have a feeling he would've been at the orphanage for a long time if it wasn't for you!!!" I hugged her and đã đưa ý kiến "you don't have to thank me! I tình yêu Christian and I don't regret pursuing adoption.
Rosemary cleared her throat and đã đưa ý kiến "alright; I will warn bạn that some parts of Christian's past are going to be hard for bạn to hear; but I think it's important for bạn to know just in case he asks bạn các câu hỏi one day. I took a deep breath and đã đưa ý kiến "okay; go ahead."
She đã đưa ý kiến "Christian's mother had him a few months after she turned 18 and she was living with her mother at the time. Melissa was always in and out of trouble with the law. Her mom kicked her out with Christian and she decided to di chuyển into a three-bedroom place with a guy who would later become her boyfriend Adam. Everything was good for the first six months of Christian's life; but then Melissa seemed to get sick of being a mother." I asked "what about Christian's biological father? I saw the picture of him in the folder of all his information." Rosemary đã đưa ý kiến "that picture was the only thing we were able to find of him. We don't know where he is. We don't know if he's alive hoặc dead. We don't know if he's a good man hoặc if he's like Melissa. We don't even know if he knows that Christian exists.
It was stunning to me to find out that there is so little known information about Christian's biological father. I asked "how did Christian end up in the orphanage?" She đã đưa ý kiến "the neighbor tiếp theo door to Melissa's house reported hearing crying for hours coming from the house. She đã đưa ý kiến she thought she had seen Christian looking out the window and crying. She alerted us and we went over there. We had to get a tìm kiếm warrant to get inside the house because Melissa wouldn't let us in and that's when we realized she had locked Christian in the bathroom while she got drunk to the point of disorientation! We estimate that he was stuck there for close to 24 hours. We think she got fed up with taking care of him and totally forgot about him."
Tears streamed down my face and I đã đưa ý kiến "that's horrible! That woman is so demented! I can't believe she would do that to her own son!" She đã đưa ý kiến "okay; enough about this! Why don't bạn take me to Christian's room to see if he's awake yet; so I can ask him a few questions." I wiped the tears away and walked upstairs as she followed behind me.
I walked into Christian's room with Rosemary and she đã đưa ý kiến "wow Michael; this is the coolest room I've ever seen! Christian is one lucky kid!" I picked Christian up and whispered "wake up buddy!" He opened his eyes and looked at Rosemary. She đã đưa ý kiến "hi Christian; do bạn remember me?" Christian đã đưa ý kiến "hi" and I put him down on the floor. He started playing with his toy racetrack and I sat down on the floor tiếp theo to him with Rosemary. She asked "do bạn like it here with Michael Christian?" He đã đưa ý kiến "yeah; he's my daddy." She asked "does daddy take good care of you?" He đã đưa ý kiến "yeah; he does!" She asked "what's your yêu thích thing about having a daddy Christian?" He leaned in to give me a Kiss and đã đưa ý kiến "kisses and hugs!" Rosemary laughed and I asked "what's so funny?" She đã đưa ý kiến "I honestly can't believe that he just gave bạn a Kiss Michael! Never in 1 million years did I think this shy little boy would ever be open to a parent's affection; let alone just walk up to bạn and randomly give bạn a kiss! His speech is getting so much better and whatever bạn doing is working. He's come so far since the last time I saw him and that's all because of you! I'm thêm than comfortable with my decision to let bạn adopt him permanently!"
Rosemary got off of the floor and đã đưa ý kiến "I better get going now because I have to catch my flight back to London." I asked "will bạn be checking in again?" She đã đưa ý kiến "no; I trust bạn Michael. I guess this is the last time I'll be seeing bạn hoặc Christian." Both of us gave her a hug and I đã đưa ý kiến "it won't be the last time; we'll visit bạn one day!" We waved goodbye to her and started our day.
***
I had been dreading the ngày when Christian would need a haircut because I have a feeling he's not going to like the idea of scissors near his face. I invited my hair stylist Karen Faye over because I knew I would need her help. Christian was watching TV in the living room and moving his hair out of his face.
Christian was sitting on the floor with his back up against the đi văng and I gestured for Karen to slide onto the đi văng and try cutting his hair without him noticing. She was a few snips in when he realized that she had scissors in her hand. He ran behind me and I đã đưa ý kiến "it's okay; I just want bạn to have your haircut!" He looked at the scissors as if they were daggers and I picked him up.
I sat down on the floor with him on my lap and đã đưa ý kiến "just cut his hair as fast as bạn can Karen.” He started squirming in my arms as I đã đưa ý kiến "it's okay buddy!" I felt absolutely terrible as I had to hold him down so she could cut his hair. I only did it because I didn't want him to get poked in the eye.
Once she was done cutting his hair, I looked at Christian and đã đưa ý kiến "you look so cute!" That wasn't so bad!" I don't think Christian was very happy with me because he didn't say anything to me until after Karen had left. I was sitting on the floor in front of him while he sat on the đi văng and watched TV.
Out of nowhere, Christian smacked me on the back of my head! I turned my head to look behind me and đã đưa ý kiến "that wasn't nice Christian! bạn need to say you're sorry because I told bạn it's not nice to hit." He crossed his arms and đã đưa ý kiến "no!" I đã đưa ý kiến as I continued to look back at him "you need to say you're sorry Christian!" He đã đưa ý kiến "no" again and I really didn't know what to do.
I thought about it for a few giây and got off of the floor. I đã đưa ý kiến "alright then; I guess it's time for a timeout." I picked him up and once he saw that I was actually bring him to a chair in the kitchen, he đã đưa ý kiến "I'm sorry daddy; I'm sorry!" Part of me wanted to believe that he was actually sorry; but I knew deep down that he was just saying that because he didn't want to have a timeout.
I pulled the chair out from the bàn and placed him in it. I looked at him and đã đưa ý kiến "it's not nice to hit people Christian!" He started crying and I felt awful. I started the timer on the microwave and đã đưa ý kiến "three phút Christian." As I stood there at the counter a few feet away from the table, Christian cried "daddy; I'm sorry daddy! I tình yêu bạn daddy! I be good!" It took all the willpower I had to ignore him because I was on the verge of tears!
When the timer finally beeped, I walked over to the chair and asked "do bạn know why you're in timeout Christian?" He đã đưa ý kiến "it's not nice to hit daddy! I'm sorry daddy!" I hugged him as I picked him up and đã đưa ý kiến "thank bạn for saying you're sorry. Do bạn still tình yêu me even though I put bạn in timeout?" He đã đưa ý kiến "yeah" and kissed my cheek.
***
I heard Christian walked downstairs this morning and đã đưa ý kiến "come here buddy." He walked into the living room and I had shopping bags in front of me on the floor. He sat down tiếp theo to me on the floor and I đã đưa ý kiến "wait until bạn see what I got you!" I opened one of the bags and asked "what would bạn think if I told bạn that I threw out all your diapers? He đã đưa ý kiến "no bạn didn't!
He went to the place where I usually keep them and when he noticed that I was serious, he looked at me with a blank look on his face. I took some of the Mickey chuột underwear out of one of the bags and đã đưa ý kiến "look buddy; Mickey!" He just looked so distraught and I picked him up to comfort him. I know because of his past I can't make this into a negative thing if it's going to work.
I sat him on my lap and sat down on the đi văng as I đã đưa ý kiến "it's okay buddy! I promise bạn that it's not going to be the end of the world! Look, don't bạn want to be a big boy?" He started crying and I đã đưa ý kiến "look at how cool these are!" He shook his head no and đã đưa ý kiến "diaper!" I excitedly đã đưa ý kiến "big boy" and he đã đưa ý kiến "I'm scared daddy!" I asked "of what; these?"
I picked up the underwear and đã đưa ý kiến "these aren't anything to be scared of!" I put them on my head and he started to laugh and I joked "what's so funny?" I brought him into the bathroom and explained to him that there wasn't going to be any thêm diapers and he didn't want to hear that at all. It was hard enough to convince him to wear the underwear; I don't think I really know what I just got myself into.
There was a knock at the door in the midst of all this; so I went to answer it. It was Frank and he đã đưa ý kiến "I brought the book cover for your book Michael; so bạn can see what it will look like! Why do bạn have Mickey chuột underwear on your head?" I reached my hand up to the hàng đầu, đầu trang of my head and realized that they were still there. I laughed and đã đưa ý kiến "it's a long story!"
Christian came into the phòng bếp, nhà bếp and đã đưa ý kiến "diaper!" I đã đưa ý kiến "I told bạn buddy; bạn don't need those anymore!" He started crying again and Frank đã đưa ý kiến "on that note I think it's time for me to get out of here; good luck with that Michael." Just as he đã đưa ý kiến that, I noticed that Christian was soaked. Frank chuckled and đã đưa ý kiến "I told bạn that bạn weren't cutout for parenting Mike" as he shut the door.
I đã đưa ý kiến "uh –oh; that's why you're supposed to tell daddy when bạn have to go! It's no big deal buddy; we'll try again tiếp theo time." He đã đưa ý kiến "I don't like this daddy!" I đã đưa ý kiến "like I said, that's why bạn have to tell me tiếp theo time!"
***
I invited my sister Latoya over for lunch because she hasn’t gotten a chance to really get to know Christian. I had ordered lunch because I didn't want her to have to wait for me to cook anything. Christian was just coming downstairs after taking a nap when Latoya finally pulled into the driveway.
I let her inside and she helped me set the bàn for the Chinese thực phẩm that I had ordered. I đã đưa ý kiến "Christian; time to eat buddy." He slowly walked into the phòng bếp, nhà bếp and asked "can I sit on your lap daddy?" I lifted him onto my lap and moved his plate of thực phẩm in front of him. He looked at Latoya and I đã đưa ý kiến "this is your aunt Latoya Christian." He waved at her and started to act shy.
He was barely touching his thực phẩm and I đã đưa ý kiến "you have to eat Christian." He đã đưa ý kiến "I don't want this." He dropped his fork on the floor and Latoya got up to grab him a new one. She brought it back to the table; but Christian was still refusing to eat. I tried feeding him because I want to be a fun dad; I don't want everything to end up with him being in trouble. I've only had to put him in timeout once and I don't really want to have to resort to that again.
He just kept pushing the fork away and I looked at Latoya as she đã đưa ý kiến "I think he's adjusted to having a daddy Michael." I asked "I know bạn don't have kids; but do think it's normal for him to act like this? He only acts this way when he wakes up from a nap. It's definitely not like him to be like this." She đã đưa ý kiến "I think he's just getting used to having a daddy and I have a feeling he wants to test bạn to see what he can get away with. It's just part of being a three-year-old Michael. Every three-year-old challenges their parents’ authority over them at some point. I don't think he's going to act like that for very long because if he's as sweet as bạn say he is he won't want to frustrate you."
Christian grabbed the fork out of my hand and started eating because I think he realized that he wasn't doing what I wanted him to do. I đã đưa ý kiến "thank bạn for eating buddy." Latoya asked "what's your schedule like this week Michael?" I đã đưa ý kiến "I have an interview with 'Jet’ magazine tomorrow and then I'm heading to New York for a couple of days bởi myself because I have a meeting with a publishing company to talk about my autobiography." She asked "what is the magazine interviewing bạn for?" I đã đưa ý kiến "I'm hoping that it's just a small interview because I want to introduce Christian to my những người hâm mộ and I want the tabloids to stop harassing me. They all want to get a picture of Christian because word has gotten out that I've adopted him and I figured if I let the magazine feature the two of us on the cover they'll leave us alone. I just want Christian to have a normal life and I want the paparazzi to stop harassing him because he's just a kid." Latoya asked "who is going to watch Christian while you're in New York?" I đã đưa ý kiến "mother is out of town for a tháng because she and Joseph went on vacation; so my hair stylist Karen is going to watch him for me." Latoya asked "how do bạn think Christian's going to handle being away from bạn for two days? He hasn't been away from bạn overnight since bạn adopted him." I đã đưa ý kiến "I don't know if I'm going to tell him until after I'm in New York because I just can't handle hearing him cry! He should be fine during the ngày because I usually don't see him until I get trang chủ from work every ngày around 5 o'clock. When it's time for him to go to giường at night he might be a little worried because I won't be there to tuck him in like I always am. Karen will know that I'm only a phone call away if she needs me! If she needs me to come back I'll be on the tiếp theo flight back here as fast as I can."
***
I looked at my watch because I was worried that the "Jet" magazine journalist and photographer would arrive at the ranch within minutes. I was in the middle of debating with Christian. I sat on the bathroom floor and Christian just looked absolutely terrified. It's all his mother's fault that this is so difficult for him. I think my approach of trying to be extremely positive about toilet training him isn't going to be enough. After đọc some parenting books, they say that if it doesn't start to work within the first few weeks I should probably take a break. I hate to say it; but I think it's time for a break.
Christian started crying and đã đưa ý kiến "don't leave me in here bởi myself daddy! Don't lock me in here!" I sympathetically đã đưa ý kiến "sweetheart; I'm not going anywhere! I'm staying right here and I promise bạn that I won't lock bạn in here like your mother did!" He đã đưa ý kiến "I'm not ready for this!" I đã đưa ý kiến "okay, okay, but bạn have to promise to tell me when bạn are ready."
I had a feeling that something like this would happen; so I didn't end up throwing out the diapers like I had told him I did. I was hoping that if he didn't think they were there he would be thêm prepared to use the bathroom instead; but I guess I was wrong. I quickly changed him back into them and he reassured me that he wasn't ready bởi saying "not a big boy yet daddy." I đã đưa ý kiến "that's okay Christian."
The journalist and I photographer from "Jet" magazine knocked on the front door and I opened it up. One of the men introduced himself as he đã đưa ý kiến "hi; I'm Andrew. I'm so glad bạn decided to discuss Christian for the first time publicly with the interview in our magazine Michael."
Before we started the interview, the photographer took a bunch of pictures of me with Christian; so there would be a lot to choose from to use in the magazine. Christian was surprisingly patient with having his picture taken so many times in a row. I didn't expect him to be okay with these two people that he never met before because he’s usually so shy.
Afterwards, I sat down with Christian on my lap and Andrew across from me; so he could ask me các câu hỏi for the interview. He asked "how did bạn come to the decision that bạn needed to permanently adopt Christian?" I đã đưa ý kiến "I just felt like I was meant to be his father and I couldn't leave him with his mother; she was just awful!" Andrew asked "what's the best part about being a father?" I đã đưa ý kiến "being able to make him smile and when he just randomly walks up to me to give me a Kiss and hug out of nowhere; for no reason at all!" Andrew asked "what did it feel like when he called bạn daddy for the first time?" I đã đưa ý kiến "to be completely honest, he brought me to tears when he called me daddy for the first time." He asked "why did he make bạn cry?" I đã đưa ý kiến "I didn't cry right away; I waited until he was asleep. I remember waking up in the middle of the night and reality just hit me. I đã đưa ý kiến to myself 'I'm officially his daddy now!!!' I just burst out into tears because I knew I didn't have to worry about wondering if he was okay. I had no idea if his mother was even taking care of him when I had to give him back to her. When I finally did get him back, I felt terrible because he was in horrible condition." He asked "how would bạn describe your parenting style Michael? Are bạn a strict dad?" I laughed and đã đưa ý kiến "no; I've only enforced any kind of discipline with Christian once so far and that was tearing me apart! I couldn't imagine what it would be like if I disciplined him for every little thing! Plus, he's a really well behaved little guy. I don't really have to deal with him giving me issues. He has the occasional moment where I can tell he's thinking 'oh; I wonder if he’ll let me get away with this.'" Andrew laughed and asked "have bạn mastered the 'you better not do that’ look Michael? Do bạn do the 'I'm going to give bạn until the count of three and bạn better not let me get to three’ thing?" I chuckled and đã đưa ý kiến "no; I don't do the whole counting thing! I'll definitely have to try that look bạn were talking about one day. I've always wondered if that actually works!" He asked "if bạn had to pick the worst part about being a father, what would it be?" I đã đưa ý kiến "that's a hard câu hỏi for me to answer because I enjoy pretty much everything about being a father; but I’d probably have to say it would be having to leave him for any amount of time. I always miss him so much; even if it's just for a few hours a ngày while I'm working." Andrew đã đưa ý kiến "thank bạn so much for letting me interview bạn Michael!" I đã đưa ý kiến "you're very welcome. I think they're going to leave now Christian; I'll make bạn something for lunch because bạn must be hungry! That took a lot longer than I thought it would."
***
I leave for New York tomorrow and I'm just enjoying some quality time with Christian. I had bought some double stuffed Oreo bánh quy, cookie and they were on the phòng bếp, nhà bếp counter. Last night, I was up đọc parenting sách in hopes that I would find some thêm toilet training tactics; but I guess I'm going to have to figure out something on my own. I know I'm supposed to be giving him a break and I think he's glad that I'm not asking him every five phút if he has to go; but I know that he's thêm than ready. He will literally tell me that he needs to be changed before he even goes; which in this case isn't a good thing. I just wish his mother never locked him in a bathroom! Why would she do that to him? She's the reason why he's still wearing those diapers at three years old!
Anyway, Christian had just finished eating bữa tối, bữa ăn tối about 20 phút cách đây and I was doing dishes in the phòng bếp, nhà bếp when he walked in. He walked up to the counter that he can barely see over the hàng đầu, đầu trang of and saw the package of bánh quy, cookie sitting there. He asked "can I have bánh quy, cookie daddy?"
I put the dish I was washing back inside the sink and looked over at the cookies. I looked at Christian and đã đưa ý kiến "I'm sorry buddy; bạn can't." He asked "why not?" I picked him up and đã đưa ý kiến "because those bánh quy, cookie are only for big boys." He looked like he wanted those bánh quy, cookie so much and I felt like maybe this might work. I lightly teased him as I đã đưa ý kiến "oh; it's too bad bạn don't want to use the potty because I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy these bánh quy, cookie all bởi myself." He stuttered with a look of shock on his face as he đã đưa ý kiến "but, but, but that's a lot of bánh quy, cookie daddy; bạn can't eat all those bởi yourself! Maybe I could just have one!" I had to hold back my laughter as I đã đưa ý kiến "I'm sorry; these are only for big boys Christian. bạn could go use the potty so bạn can have some." He sighed and đã đưa ý kiến "no; that's okay daddy! bạn can eat them!" I put him down on the ground and he walked back into the living room.
I stood there at the counter and đã đưa ý kiến to myself "come on Mike; that almost worked!” I thought for sure the bánh quy, cookie would work. I đã đưa ý kiến "time for plan B; it's not considered teasing him with the bánh quy, cookie if I'm doing it for a good cause." I poured some of the bánh quy, cookie in a bowl and walked into the living room.
I sat down tiếp theo to Christian on the đi văng with the bowl of bánh quy, cookie and that immediately caught his attention. He watched me start to eat one of them and I đã đưa ý kiến "wow; these are good!" He tried to grab one of the bánh quy, cookie and I đã đưa ý kiến "I'm sorry Christian; bạn can't have these!" I could tell that he was debating it back and forth in his mind. He complained "I can't go daddy!" I joked "oh; that's too bad that bạn can't; because all it would take is a few phút and these bánh quy, cookie would be yours. I think he was getting frustrated with me because he could tell that I was deliberately making those bánh quy, cookie seem amazing. That didn't work either because he just went upstairs to his room. He is definitely making this difficult!
***
I was just returning to the hotel after meeting with the company that's publishing my book and the phone started ringing as soon as I entered the room. I answered it and my hair stylist Karen đã đưa ý kiến "thank God bạn finally picked up Michael!" I asked concerned "why; what's wrong?" She asked "will bạn talk to your son? I can't get him to go to sleep. I told him you're in New York and that you'll be back tomorrow night before he goes to bed; but he keeps crying for bạn Michael."
I could hear her pass Christian the phone and he was sobbing. I asked "what's wrong Christian?" He asked "where are you? You're not here to give me good night kisses" I đã đưa ý kiến "I know buddy; but I had to do something for work! I'll be back before bạn have to go to giường tomorrow." He continued to cry and I started to sing to him the lyrics of "smile."
A few phút later, Karen picked up the phone again and whispered "he's asleep Michael; thanks!" I đã đưa ý kiến "no need to thank me. I knew he would have a meltdown when he realized I wasn't going to be trang chủ bởi tonight. It's getting late; so I'll see bạn tomorrow when I get back. She đã đưa ý kiến "bye Michael" and I hung up the phone.
***
I walked through the door of the house and Karen đã đưa ý kiến "I just put him to bed; but he might still be awake because he wanted to wait for you." I đã đưa ý kiến "okay; thanks for watching him for me. Have a good weekend Karen." She đã đưa ý kiến "you're welcome Michael; I'll watch him anytime! I hope bạn have a good weekend too!" She shut the door behind her and I started to make my way upstairs with my bags.
After bringing my suitcase to my room, I walked down to Christian's room to see if he was still awake. When I walked in there, his giường was empty and that made me panic. I started looking everywhere upstairs and đã đưa ý kiến "Christian." I went back into my room and I could hear whining coming from down the hall. I exited my room and followed the noise down the hall.
It led me to the bathroom and I pushed open the door. Christian was standing at the sink and trying to wash his hands. I don’t think he saw me there watching him and I đã đưa ý kiến “hey buddy; what are bạn doing in here?” He asked “daddy can I have cookies?” I đã đưa ý kiến “I told bạn buddy, bạn can’t have those unless bạn use the potty.” He đã đưa ý kiến “but I did!!!” I walked over to the toilet and realized that he wasn't just saying that to trick me into giving him Oreos. I looked over at him with a stunned look on my face and đã đưa ý kiến "oh my God; bạn really did go."
I excitedly picked him up and đã đưa ý kiến "THAT'S MY GOOD BOY! I KNEW bạn COULD DO IT!!!" He started laughing at my excitement and asked "I did good daddy?" I đã đưa ý kiến "very good; I still can't believe bạn actually went potty! What happened? I thought bạn didn't want to be a big boy Christian!" He đã đưa ý kiến "I wanted to make bạn proud of me and I want those bánh quy, cookie a lot!" I laughed and đã đưa ý kiến "well, I'm definitely proud of you! Do bạn know how long I’ve wanted bạn to do that Christian? I'm so proud of you! bạn have no idea how happy I am right now buddy!"
He loved having me be so ecstatic over him going to the bathroom. What he đã đưa ý kiến tiếp theo completely shocked me. He đã đưa ý kiến "daddy I don't need those diapers anymore because I'm ready to be a big boy!" I đã đưa ý kiến "thank God; I was worried I'd never be able to get bạn to give those up! I'm seriously SO proud of bạn right now buddy! I didn't expect to come trang chủ to bạn wanting to be a big boy! It wasn't as scary as bạn thought it would be; was it buddy?" He đã đưa ý kiến "no; but I missed bạn and I wanted bạn to be here daddy!" I đã đưa ý kiến "I know buddy; I can't believe I missed it! If bạn had waited about five thêm phút I would've been here. I won't miss the tiếp theo time buddy! Let's go get bạn some of those cookies!"
After he had eaten the cookies, I brought him into his room and put him into bed. I covered him with the blankets and knelt down tiếp theo to the bed. I đã đưa ý kiến "I know bạn were really scared to be in the bathroom; but I'm so proud of bạn for going potty!" He gave me a Kiss and he whispered "I did it daddy!” I shut off the light and đã đưa ý kiến "yes bạn did; big boy!!!" He đã đưa ý kiến "I tình yêu you!" I responded "I tình yêu bạn thêm Christian" as I walked out of his room and into mine.
the "Jet" magazine with Michael and Christian on the cover
