Today I am wearing one of my favorite pieces of jewelry–a long, turquoise blue beaded/pearl-looking necklace from Stella and Dot.

Maya thinks it is hers because once, a couple weeks ago, I let her wear it around the house. But it’s mine, it was not cheap and, in retrospect, I never should have let her try it on because we are at the fun stage where she wants to do everything Mommy does. Some of it is adorable and harmless:

• “I going to my car to get my warm blankie. I be right back” (and goes to the door as if she’s busting out).
• “I go to Zumba like Mommy” (and puts on my sneakers).
  
• “I going shopping at Target. I get milk and sandia [watermelon in Spanish]. I need my lovey. I need my purse” (and grabs her purse and lovey and walks out of the room).

But this morning she threw a huge honkin’ tantrum because I had on the aforementioned blue necklace and was not about to take it off. (Hello, it totally zhuzhes up my white tank and coral-colored open cardi — who says maternity style has to suck?!).

“It’s MY necklace, Mommy! I want to wear blue necklace! That mine! Please take it OFF.” Girlfriend was stark naked, thrashing around on the floor of her room, screaming bloody murder over a necklace that wasn’t even hers.

Oy.

Clearly I can’t let her try on my jewelry going forward … lesson learned. And clearly, kids cannot get their way 24/7. But I have to admit, in this instance — to avoid the meltdown continuing and because we were running so late — I let her wear a play purple bracelet that was, indeed, hers.

Finally all was OK in her little world, but the tantrum reminded me of this lovely little creed outside her classroom at school.

This. A thousand times over.

Image source: http://www.public.asu.edu

Such is life with a toddler 😉