"Let's give this woman a round of applause!" is what Max would have said if he had possessed the vocabulary. Instead, I got a great big smile and he did clap, quite joyously. That's what happened when, in the course of a pretty routine diaper change, I had to touch his "business." I had purchased some Huggies diaper wipes recently, instead of the Pampers I normally like and discovered that they leave a linty residue behind on my boys little bottom. Well, some of this lint was stuck to his "business" and when I went to pick it off, I was applauded. Having met with his expressed approval, I quickly taped the diaper back together, scooped him up off of the changing table and sent him on his way. But then I started thinking. And this may not be an easy thought process to follow, but bear with me for a minute. I start thinking how that was a TYPICAL male response and how funny that was. I crack myself up and laugh out loud about it, shaking my head. I think about how I'm always so careful not to make scrunched up, grossed out faces when I change his diaper because I've read that expressed displeasure, when you are changing a baby's diaper, can later impact their self esteem, particularly regarding their genitals. I also start wondering how it would feel to get a round of applause everytime we had contact with our husband's "business." Now I'm really cracking myself up. And thinking "YAH, we deserve it!" Then I start thinking about getting a round of applause for all the deserving things we do, whether it be flipping an egg without breaking the yoke or scrubbing a toilet. Not just a one man clap, but a full audience, round of applause. "Yay!!!! I did it!!! I folded the clothes!! AND...I PUT THEM AWAY! Yaaaaaaaaay!!!!!!" clapclapclapclapclap.....Then, I realize that's what I do to Max when he accomplishes something. I give him a fabulous round of applause. Now I'm thinking "gee, how strange is that!" So is he going to grow up expecting a grandiose validation for every little thing he does? Well, I won't worry about that just yet. For now, I'll continue to applaud all his accomplishments, which ARE grandiose in his mother's eyes anyway. And, apparently, I'll get my own kudos from time to time.