Man syndrome in the Pind household

We have a new man in the Pind house and his name is Cooper Donald Pind. My baby is in too big of a hurry to grow up! Every day I hear, "Mom, I'm 6, I'm a man now."

Gone are the cutesy good-smelling kids shampoos, soaps and conditioners. In their place is "man soap" -- Irish Spring, Old Spice, Brut. He insists on deodorant every day, even though he doesn't really need it. He now refuses to use the Ninja Turtle bubble gum toothpaste and opts instead for our minty whitening toothpaste. The last straw was when he said he no longer will take baths because, "Only babies take baths; men take showers."

He won't wear the new Paw Patrol pajamas he just picked out two weeks ago, because men sleep in their underwear. And speaking of underwear, the cute little-boy superhero underwear no longer is acceptable -- the kid wants boxer briefs. No more apple juice for dinner, because men drink tea. No more divided plate at dinner, because men's food can touch. Next thing I know he's going to be sneaking the razor and shaving!

What prompted this sudden "man" syndrome? I'm not sure, but my guess is the talk we had about being a grown-up, taking responsibility for your actions and acting like you are big at school. Apparently we went a little too far in trying to get our baby boy to behave better and do chores around the house.

In a perfect sibling copycat, our princess decided this week that she is a "man," too. She threw the biggest fit at bath time and refused to get in the tub unless she could take a shower like Bub. Two seconds into the shower, she was screaming like she was on fire. She ran out crying and tattling on her daddy for "making her" take a shower, and she let me know she's not a man because she doesn't like showers in her face.

So now, instead of two kids and a kidlike husband, I have a decently-behaved 6-year-old "man" living in my house, a baby princess in no hurry to be a man, and a childlike helper I call my soul mate. Life couldn't get any more interesting if it tried.