Time for a new mommy

I've been watching episodes of My So-Called Life on Hulu lately. I loved the show the first time around, but back in the early 90's I was much more interested in Angela's crush on Jordan Catalano than the sub-plots involving her parents. Now I am struck by her parent's struggle to deal with a child who suddenly seems to wish they would just disappear.

The point being, I am fully aware that someday Baby M will shrug off my hugs, roll his eyes at me and ask to be dropped off a block away from his destination so that I don't embarrass him in front of his friends. However, I figured this change would occur sometime in early adolescence, not at 2 years old. I was definitely not prepared for Baby M to push me and then say "I'm pushing you away because I don't want you anymore. I want a new Mommy."

Initially I was more shocked than hurt. This seemed like a pretty sophisticated sentence, not to mention concept for a 2 year old. Did he really want a different mommy? I admit, I was not at my parenting best when the exchange occurred. I was sitting next to Baby M as he lingered over his lunch, refusing to eat until I tried to take the plate away and then taking one tiny bite to show he wasn't finished yet. I was bored, distracted by a KenKen puzzle and not paying much attention to Baby M. But still, was I really such a terrible mother that he needed to trade me in?

A few moments later he relented, claimed he didn't want a new mommy and nearly strangled me trying to convince me of his love. But the whole incident gave me pause. I hope this is not indicative of things to come.