If You Give a Moo a Milkshake…

Have you ever read that children’s book, “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie,” by Laura Numeroff?  We read it with Moo about six months ago, and just recently checked it out from the library again.  I used to think it was just a silly, charming story about a demanding, crazy little mouse who scampers about the house, causing chaos and destruction. (“If you give a mouse a cookie, he’s going to ask for a glass of milk.  When you give him the milk, he’ll probably ask you for a straw.”)  Later he asks to read a book, and then the pictures make him want to draw a picture, and then he needs tape to hang up his picture, and then he remembers he’s thirsty, and then he wants another cookie, and eventually the mouse ends up eating more cookies amidst a huge mess of milk, crayons, cleaning supplies, random jars of condiments, and cookie crumbs. 

How could I not realize before that the story is a metaphor for life with a toddler?  Oh, right, because six months ago my Moo was a sweet angel baby, and now she’s a crazy  kid who literally runs in circles until she falls down, and politely asks me after I vacuum the playroom, “And now can I mess it up again?”

In the book, the beleaguered little boy/cookie-giver ends up zonked out, fast asleep in the middle of the mess.  Which is exactly what I’m about to go do… just as soon as I figure out what that jar of mustard is doing in the middle of the room.