Pick Your Battles (Not Your Nose!)

As a parent some things are just not worth fighting. As the saying goes, "Don't sweat the small stuff." All parents will agree that you have to pick your battles wisely. The hard part is deciding which things to give over control of. I'm sure this list will change over time, but here is where I stand on these things currently.

Things I have decided not to fight over:

• Logan eats crayons. (I sometimes think he does it just to get a reaction anyway, and they aren't hurting him as far as I know... plus it makes for interesting diaper changes. You never know what color you will get!)
• Mia hardly ever takes a nap anymore. She knows when she really needs one, so I let her decide.
• Wearing a coat. We tell Mia she can either wear it or carry it. This works great because even if she opts to carry it, she quickly decides that it's too cold and wants to put it on. Or else she's cold. It doesn't affect me, so I don't care. (Of course, Logan doesn't get the option yet.)
• Hand washing. Most of the time I let Mia just use the "magic soap" (hand sanitizer) unless her hands are visibly dirty (or she went #2). I don't know why she hates hand washing so much, but most of the time when she needs to wash with soap and water, she insists that I stay with her to make sure the temperature is just right.

Things I am still choosing to battle:

• Manners. Mia doesn't get anything unless she says "please." Period.
• Baths. Both kids currently hate having their hair washed, so we just aim for twice a week... but it's still a battle!
• Healthy eating. I don't make the kids clean their plates, but I do expect them to eat at least a small bit of some kind of fruit and some kind of vegetable plus the main course at lunch and dinner. Neither one is a very picky eater so this works for now. And Mia will eat just about anything I ask her to if she knows it means the difference between getting dessert and not getting dessert.
• Mia's nose picking. (I know it's not a big deal, but I keep reminding to stop because it's gross and she might be spreading germs. And nobody likes to see her doing it. I've tried telling her that princesses and ballerinas don't pick their noses, but so far that hasn't deterred her.)