Museo de los Ninos in Guatemala City

Similar to our last full day in San Salvador, El Salvador, last Memorial Day weekend, today we took Kaia to Museo de los Ninos on our last day in Guatemala City, Guatemala. We had just a few hours this morning to hang out before heading to the airport for our early afternoon flight back to the U.S., and so we indulged Kaia in some time at the local children’s museum. For us, it was quite affordable at an admission fee of 45 Guatemalan quetzales (or just over $6 USD). For locals, I can see that this could be a bit expensive. I loved our experience at the children’s museum in San Salvador last year; we didn’t have enough time to explore all parts of it, as it was humongous, and incredibly well staffed with multiple attendants in each station/room!

Our experience today at the Guatemala City children’s museum was similarly impressive, but different. There was definitely less staff here than in San Salvador’s, and overall the museum here is smaller. But here, they have a lot of thoughtful exhibits, including ones about overall sanitation and hygiene, brushing teeth/washing face, taking care of babies in a nursery and surgery at a hospital, driving vehicles (of course, every toddler’s favorite!), and recycling/the environment. Although the San Salvador museum’s interior was far more elaborate and massive (we easily could have spent two days exploring the freaking place with Kaia then), the Guatemala City’s children’s museum exterior playground area was much larger. They had different components, like a bank, shopping center, and even a fire station. One part that Chris enjoyed was that the supermarket (another Kaia favorite) was very modern: the “cashier” attendant rang up all five (you were allowed to ring up a maximum of five items) items with a digital scanner, then printed an actual paper receipt for her with all her items she “purchased.” They even printed her name on the receipt! We were just asked to put the items back where they belonged at the end; only one child could come into the supermarket to “shop” at a time.

It’s definitely a different travel experience when you visit places with a child, but I actually love seeing how these children’s museums are set up in different parts of the world and how much fun they can be for Kaia. I appreciate the little thoughtful touches to each room and exhibition as a parent. Kaia obviously loved the experience; I only wish we had more time for her to delve into it.

A day in La Antigua, Guatemala

Our driver took us for a day trip to Antigua today. Antigua is the third capital of Guatemala, from 1543 to 1773, and is famous for its Baroque-style architecture from that period. It has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site since then and is the capital of the Sacatepequez Department (or state). You can feel the aura of Spanish colonial times while walking the cobbled streets here. A number of ruins have survived that you can visit, as well as plazas with large fountains and multiple cathedrals. The city is flanked by multiple volcanos, including Agua Volcano, Fuego Volcano, and Acatenango Volcano. Antigua, like the town of San Juan La Laguna, is also colorful and very picturesque. It definitely had the most number of tourists of all the areas we have visited thus far on this trip.

One thing I will say about cobbled streets: they are absolutely NOT ideal for a stroller. I am not even completely certain I would call all of these cobbled streets “cobbled.” A lot of the “cobbles” look like they were just broken stones or rocks that were never properly repaired, which is fine if you are going for an old colonial feel, but pretty terrible if you are pushing a wheeled device. We also walked up about 10-15 minutes to Cerro de la Cruz, a beautiful view point of Antigua and its volcanoes. The cobbled streets and the steps to get up to this viewpoint prevented us from letting Kaia sit in the stroller for most of this visit to Antigua, and she was definitely not a happy camper. She demanded all day to sit in the stroller and would whine and whinge endlessly when we told her she couldn’t sit on it. This meant she had to walk more, which most definitely tired her out, but at least it meant she was active and would sleep well in the evening. I have a video of her protesting walking up to the viewpoint, as well as several videos of Chris running away with the stroller while Kaia is trying to catch up to sit on it. I hope these make for future laughs when she is older and can look back on her younger self, refusing to move.

Another thing about being a toddler mom, or a mother in general: I think I just have to keep telling and reminding myself that it doesn’t matter how much I do or what I do or sacrifice for my child… because no matter what, they will never “repay” me to match it (mind you, I never expected this anyway), nor will they ever express the “gratitude” that we may think we deserve. Every time I asked Kaia to pose and take a picture with Daddy, she was happy to do so. She would pose, smile, and look at me and my phone taking the photo. Multiple times when Chris attempted to photograph me with Kaia, she refused, yelling, screaming, and crying. She said she didn’t want to take a photo with me. Chris got several classic shots of my posing and smiling, with Kaia very visibly screaming and/or attempting to run away from me.

It’s okay. I accept it. Sometimes, I laugh it off. Other times, I actually do feel a little hurt. It doesn’t matter what a mother does, but a child will never fully, completely appreciate it, even after s/he may have their own child in the future. I am sure my own mother feels the same way about me. And the cycle continues. C’est la vie.

Lake Atitlan: the lake that is “between the waters”

Today, we hired a driver to take us to Lake Atitlan, which given the condition of local roads and traffic, took about three hours to get to Panajachel from our hotel in Guatemala City. Locally referred to as “Pana,” Panajachel is the main hub to catch a boat, public or private, to head to various Maya villages along the lake. Our driver recommended that we take a boat to the Tz’utujil Maya village of San Juan La Laguna, famous for its weaving cooperatives specializing in naturally dyed textiles, art demonstrations and galleries, and abundance of cafes and restaurants. San Juan is on the southwest shores of Lake Atitlan and is known for its bright colors and endless murals everywhere. Lake Atitlan, meaning “between the waters” in the Nahualtl language, is one of the most important national and international tourist attractions in all of Guatemala. It’s also known as the deepest lake in all of Central America (it has a maximum depth of 340 meters (or 1,120 feet), with an average depth of 154 meters (505 feet). The lake basin is volcanic in origin, filling a large cauldron-like hollow that formed after a volcanic eruption about 79,500 years ago. This was likely our very first time seeing and being on a boat going across a volcanic lake!

San Juan La Laguna was really as colorful as our driver said it was. Of all the places we have previously visited, I was reminded most of Guatape, a small town we visited while on a day trip from Medellin, Colombia, in May 2019. Guatape is known as one of the most colorful cities in all of Colombia, if not South America. San Juan felt similar but with far more hand painted and extremely elaborate murals. Here in San Juan, we saw almost life-like paintings of local, tropical birds, various flora and fauna, and scenes of indigenous Maya culture, clothing, and dance. We saw detailed hand-painted depictions of Maya bees and honey, as well as of the entire coffee growing and production process. We did a Maya bee farm tour (I had no idea how small these little guys were — and although they do not sting, they do bite; I have a feeling I got a few bites while there!), had a mini cacao/chocolate tour complete with some tastings, and did some mini hiking around the town. During our uphill walks, we also got to see avocados and mangoes growing everywhere. When we were leaving the honey farm, we stumbled upon some horses, who were taking a break and snacking on some of these avocados!

As a side note, I’ve noticed that avocados are not prepared quite the same way here as they are in Mexico. When we’ve been presented with avocados here, they are usually sliced up to be added into stews and soups, or it is simply mashed with at most, a pinch or two of salt. The avocado fattiness and its pure taste are all that come through — true delicious simplicity. There is not much in the way of spices, onions, or lime juice added. I’ve been adding mashed avocado to my morning tostada at our hotel breakfast buffet (along with some mashed black beans, a little scrambled egg and shredded local cheese), and I’ve noticed that the avocados in Guatemala seem to be sweeter here than back home. This is not to say that I do not like the Mexican avocados, but more that the Guatemalan avocados have a sweeter note as the end taste in my mouth. The majority of the avocados we get in the U.S. are grown in Mexico.

When we arrived at the lake just before 11am, it was so calm and still – a perfect blue skied day with a few clouds floating about. It was quite a different story as we were leaving San Juan to get back on the boat to Panajachel just after 4pm — it was storming, with rain pouring down from the sky seemingly in buckets! It made for a literally bumpy, slightly tumultuous ride along the lake. Our boat guy had to cover the front of the boat with a big clear tarp to prevent the three of us from getting completely drenched. Kaia seemed to revel in the tumult, giggling and shrieking non-stop with every bump, jump, and push.

It would have been fun to spend more time in San Juan to more closely peruse the art, weaving, and intricate bead work, but alas, we only had the day. And then, a long drive back to Guatemala City awaited us.

Maya Civilization and modern day Guatemala

In school, you learn a lot of abstract concepts. You also learn about ancient civilizations that no longer exist and buildings in far away places that seem, well, very far away. And then, you sit there as a complacent child/teenager and wonder how it pertains to your own young life and existence. But I still remember when I was in my freshman year of high school, and I took Advanced Placement (A.P.) Art History. One of the periods I really enjoyed was learning about the Byzantine Empire and of course, the famous and gorgeous Hagia Sophia, built in AD 537, now still standing in modern day Istanbul, Turkey. At the time, the building was considered particularly impressive because people wrote that it changed the history of architecture forever. It had a large dome and extremely intricate mosaics that were considered a feat at that time in both engineering and artistry. At that time when I learned about the Hagia Sophia, at ages 14-15, I still hadn’t left the country. I didn’t have a passport. I had no idea when I would ever leave the country, and I really wasn’t sure when, if ever, I’d go to Turkey to see this spectacular mosque. So when I finally did make my first trip to Turkey in 2011 when I was 25 years old, I was giddy with glee. When I visited the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, I was just in awe. I walked around feeling like a little child, eyes wide with wonder at all this architectural beauty. I didn’t even care that as a woman, I had to cover my head with a scarf to get in — none of that mattered to me. I felt so lucky, so privileged, to finally see these famous, incredible feats of architecture in real life after learning about them in school years ago. What was once so obscure, so foreign, and so far away, was something that I was literally standing in the middle of. If only all of learning about history could feel like that!

This trip, we’re not seeing any ancient cities or monumental feats of architecture. Unfortunately, Tikal, the ancient Maya “city” still standing in Guatemala, is too far away by car from Guatemala City, where we are based, and would have been more efficient as a flight. But what we have been exposed to is a lot of Maya influenced architecture. From the moment you step out of the Guatemala City airport, you see hints of Maya sculpture and architecture everywhere, even on basic business buildings and banks. Maya glyphs are on random walls that you pass as you walk through the city. If you are in certain small towns, like along Lake Atitlan or even Antigua, when you listen closely, you may even hear people conversing not in Spanish, but in Kaqchikel and Ixil, native Mayan languages.

It’s been said that the Mayans were recognized as the first people to use chocolate. They were the first civilization to cultivate cacao beans and create a frothy drink from them; it was considered a “food of the gods,” a special occasion drink like a fine, aged wine or champagne would be today. Early records of Maya marriages in Guatemala indicate that in some regions, a woman would have to make the cacao and prove that she could make it with the proper froth on top. And chocolate shows up in lots of Guatemalan cooking. It’s mixed with meats and then stuffed in tamales and variations of tamales, it’s used in mole de platano, which is stuffed sweet, fried plantains in a chocolate-based sauce, and it’s also used in various meat stews.

Before planning this trip, I knew very little about Guatemalan cuisine. But given its geography, it makes sense that it would be a bit of a mash-up of Mexican, surrounding Central American (there are lots of tortillas, pupusas, and tamales here!), and ancient Maya cuisine. So far on this trip, we’ve already had a couple of heavily Maya influenced Guatemalan dishes. At our first dinner last night, we had hilachas, which is a shredded beef stew cooked in a tomato and tomatillo based sauce. And for a morning snack at the local mercado earlier today, we enjoyed a bowl of pepian, which is considered the national dish of Guatemala: it’s a rich stew, usually with chicken as its base, made with a mix of red and black chilies, sesame seeds, cilantro, tomatoes, and tomatillos, all individually roasted to build a complex flavor profile and then blended into a thick, deep brown colored stew. We were told that we know it’s a legitimate pepian if the stew comes out with a brown color. Even though there’s technically no chocolate in this stew, when we sat down and enjoyed it at a market stall, accompanied with rice and freshly handmade, thick tortillas (tortillas are not made with a press here the way they typically are in Mexico; they are fully hand formed and patted down!), it tasted like chocolate was there. The flavor was likely coming from the roasted chilies; it reminded me of some of the delicious moles we’ve savored in Mexico and in the Bronx. And at the hotel tonight, we were able to try a small serving of rellenitos de platano, which is a dish of ripe plantains stuffed with black beans, then covered in sugar; it’s supposed to be one of the most popular desserts in Guatemala. It appears that it’s not just East and Southeast Asians who use beans (protein!) in desserts!

The ancient cities of Tikal and Chichen Itza may no longer exist. But their existence still murmurs on through their carvings, artwork, and culinary influences. It’s definitely different than what we are used to eating and what we had previously been exposed to. All of this — from seeing Maya glyphs to thinking about ancient Maya cities to tasting Maya influenced cuisine — it makes me wonder how we can make history education more approachable, more palpable, more relatable, so it doesn’t seem like it’s this far away, unrelated period of time from us today.

Traveling to Guatemala this Memorial Day weekend 2025

Last year, we went to El Salvador for an extended Memorial Day weekend. This Memorial Day weekend, we are visiting its northwestern Central American neighbor, Guatemala. Central American countries like El Salvador and Guatemala are often in American news media because of migrants (coming into the U.S.), crime, civil unrest, and guns. This then makes Americans believe that these countries are unsafe and not “worth” traveling to. The sad thing about that, though, is that the majority of the guns that exist in countries like Guatemala are actually legally imported and supplied by the U.S. It’s almost like the U.S. is encouraging violence and unrest in these countries. There’s a lot to unpack there that I don’t have the desire to get into here (and bluntly, I clearly don’t have the expertise to discuss). I don’t feel that bothered by these things in the news, though, because I also remember and know how the U.S. is portrayed outside the U.S. Other countries have issued travel advisories to their own citizens that travel to the U.S. is unsafe. Many people living abroad I knew and was connected to during the first Trump administration said that they refused to travel to the U.S. during his first term because of politics and his constant spewing of racist, bigoted hatred; I can empathize with this (plus, it’s not like the U.S. is the only place to travel to; the rest of the entire world is there for you to visit if you so wish!). It’s common to be fearful of the U.S. as a non-American outside the country when all you hear about are the mass shootings, especially at schools, the unchecked ownership of guns, and the general acceptance of assault weapons for personal ownership. I’ve read travel forums of people voicing concerns of U.S. travel, and some even say they worry about leaving their hotel and just randomly getting shot on the street in broad daylight. I’m sure plenty of non-Americans think the U.S. is just as unsafe as the average ignorant American thinks that El Salvador or Guatemala are unsafe.

So, I don’t really get fazed when people question why we go to El Salvador or Guatemala, or ask me if I think it’s safe enough. We got similar questions and comments when we went to Colombia for Memorial Day weekend 2019. Today, just six years later, all I seem to hear about are family trips, bachelor and bachelorette parties, and guy friend groups’ golf outings to various cities across Colombia. It’s not like we’re going to Russia, Sudan, or Syria right now. Some of my friends know better now than to ask me annoying questions about safety of a country after a trip has already been booked (also, think about it this way: if we knew a place really was in a war zone, do they think we’d actually be stupid enough to book a trip there?!); instead, they respond to my sharing that I’m going to said country with no words at all, a simple “OK,” or a thumb’s up emoji (if on text). I think I actually prefer it that way.

Since the pandemic “ended,” American tourists have been flooding popular tourism destinations like Japan, France, and Italy. Japan has reportedly gotten so overwhelmed by the volume of tourists coming in and have implemented surcharges for some tourist sites for international travelers. I still remember when we visited northern Italy in November 2017, a season that is considered “low season.” We started in Milan, went to Bologna and Modena, then ended our Thanksgiving week in Venice. Milan was fun. I especially loved Bologna (it was so delicious!). Modena was a day trip to have a sumptuous midday meal at the famous Osteria Francescana. But Venice, by far, was one of the most miserable experiences for me as a tourist, because it was just so crowded. I remember walking in the main square and feeling like a sardine because that was how packed it was — during low season. I recognize it sounds bratty and overly privileged for me to complain about the volume of tourists in a popular tourist destination when I myself was a tourist there, but I suppose the reason I thought about this in the context of Guatemala or El Salvador travel is that it’s refreshing to visit places that are slightly off the beaten path, where I know that I won’t be herded like goats, shoulder to shoulder, with other visitors, where I feel like I can have some breathing space and not be taking the exact same pictures as everyone else.

There is a lot to see in the world. I won’t live long enough to visit every inch (or centimeter) of the world, but it’s an adventure to see as much as I possibly can of it and try to breathe it all in. It’s also fun to taste as much of it as possible and see how different cultures use the same or similar ingredients or produce.

When your toddler says everything hurts, do you believe it?

Since about the beginning of this year, randomly Kaia will say that her leg hurts, her knee hurts, her ankle hurts, her foot hurts, her stomach hurts, etc. She will say that a random body part hurts when she doesn’t want to walk, go up or down the stairs, go to the potty, wash her hands, etc. Chris and I both think she just makes these excuses and has likely learned this from her classmates at school to try to get out of doing things. But in the times when she’s tried to say that her leg hurts, for example, and we’re on our way home, and she clearly wants me to carry her, I dangle up a chocolate coin wrapped in gold or a lollipop (never for eating, always as a prop), and I ask her if she wants it. And she always immediately lights up, nods, and says she wants it. Then, she will walk as fast as I want her to in order to get home just for the chance to hold said item.

So when that happens, it’s hard to really believe her when she says that something hurts.

But that leads me to think: if she fakes the pain now, how do I actually know when the pain is real?

An underwhelming dinner out on the town tonight, with a babysitting bill on top of it

One of our friends has been hounding Chris and me for a double date night. He and his wife have his wife’s parents caring for the kids after they finish school, and the grandparents even take them two nights a week to stay at their home just blocks away. So Sunday and Monday are their nights to themselves, when date night out for them is on Monday. Monday is when they splurge and try something fun and pricey. They will make the reservations for dinner up to a month in advance. So while they have free babysitting very, very regularly, Chris and I don’t have that luxury. When I told Chris that I scheduled this meal out, he got a little sour with me and asked why we were accommodating their free babysitting schedule when we don’t get free babysitting. He also said that (even though he doesn’t work) he doesn’t typically want to go out on a Monday night and would prefer a night later in the week. Either way, it’s our first time doing “date night” with these friends after having a kid of our own, so I thought once wouldn’t be any harm.

My friend suggested this new “2D” Japanese omakase restaurant in the East Village, which I will admit did look gimmicky; it’s the kind of place that I probably would have been really excited to try in my 20s, but now that I’m in my late 30s, I just think it’s another restaurant. But the idea of “omakase” did excite me, as I do love sushi and raw fish, but we don’t really eat much of it when Kaia is around. And $90 for 15 courses did sound like a good deal…

…Until the “courses” came to our table. The first three “courses” came to our table on a single tray for each of us, and two out of three of them were borderline terrible. The first “ball” of raw fish looked and tasted like an after-thought, like leftover fish that they didn’t know what to do with, so they rolled it into a ball. The second in a little bowl was trying to be fancy, but it didn’t taste like anything. The third piece was just fine. It was the start to a miserable dining experience.

The rest of the 11 “courses” came on a single plate, all lined up, little nigiri along with one hand roll, which though they said they recommended we eat right away to prevent the seaweed from getting soggy, was already soggy and had zero crisp at all. The fifteenth and final course was a miso soup, which just felt like an after thought.

Our server was also pretty terrible. I couldn’t tell if he was either sleepy, high, or both. Multiple times, he forgot to bring Chris’s drink, give us more napkins, or more ginger as we requested. He also had to be nudged a few times to simply refill our water. Although I tipped 20 percent, in retrospect, I am not totally sure he deserved that.

We spent over $100 per person for what is likely the most subpar omakase experience we’ve ever had. Plus, once you tack on the inevitable babysitting bill of about $80-100, that is a really, really expensive night out. Granted, omakase dining experiences in New York have only gotten more and more expensive. Many of them are over $300+ per person now. While the company was good tonight, and we had a reasonably fun time out with our friends, I promised Chris that if we go out with them again that I’d do a more careful vetting of the chosen restaurant to ensure that it’s something that’s really worth paying for, as well as paying for babysitting on top of that. He was venting about how “not worth it” this meal was. I agreed with him. But alas, we can’t dwell on the past anymore. It’s literally a sunk cost now!

The Chamber Music Society: Beethoven’s Many Hats for Littles, ages 3-6

Today, along with two friends and their daughter, I took Kaia to the Chamber Music Society at the Lincoln Center for a relaxed performance of Beethoven’s Many Hats, targeted towards kids ages 3-6 along with their families. A trio consisting of a violinist, a cellist, and a pianist played select Beethoven songs while explaining Beethoven’s story and life. A host also came and interacted directly with the kids. All the artists performing were really sweet and engaged directly with the kids, asking them questions, to repeat when they said certain words, and responded to their answers with warmth and kindness. As we entered the theater, they also presented the kids with different options for toys to use during the performance. At the end, they opened up the stage so that the kids could “play” with the different instruments if they wished. It was a really well put together performance.

I was also especially happy because Kaia did so well during the performance. Every time the host or one of the artists asked a question, Kaia answered. Whenever they asked the kids to make a gesture (“thumb’s up!”) or repeat a word, Kaia did it. And for the most part, she sat and watched the performance intently, playing with her toys, watching them perform, or wiggling her butt in my lap. This time last year, I took her to a Hawaiian performance at the Clark Theater, which did not turn out to be the greatest idea, as she barely paid any attention. It’s good to see that her attention span has progressed in the last year!

We’re lucky to live so close to the Lincoln Center, and to have it offer affordable, kid-friendly performances to get kids acquainted with music and the arts at a younger age. I also enjoyed the chamber music performance and hope to see more of them myself!

Indo Java Indonesian Grocery Store in Elmhurst, Queens

Today, we spent the day exploring Elmhurst, Queens, my original neighborhood that I lived in when I first moved to New York City back in June 2008. Elmhurst has changed quite a lot since then: modern, new rental and condominium buildings have gone up. Fancier restaurants and even bars have opened up. More and more working professionals who work in Manhattan are moving in. And of course, all that means more gentrification and higher rental and buying costs here. The neighborhood has historically been a mix of working class Asian, Hispanic, and various White immigrants. Every time I go back now, it seems to be skewing more and more Asian. And with that, more Chinese, Filipino, Indonesian, and Taiwanese restaurants and businesses seem to be popping up.

Today, we went back to Indo Java Indonesian Grocery Store right on Queens Boulevard, just minutes walk from my old apartment. This time, it was full of all the goodies that made it so loved amongst immigrant Indonesians: an entire table FULL of Indonesian savory and sweet snacks and desserts, all made by the grocery store staff at a nearby offsite location. And as soon as I saw the table, I felt decision paralysis: so many interesting, delicious things to choose from, but what would I buy? They had lots of fried and steamed snacks, entire half pandan chiffon cakes, and a seemingly endless assortment of different kuih, or steamed Indonesian finger-sized cakes and sweets. In the end, I chose the wajik, a jackfruit/palm sugar/glutinous rice mini cake, plus talam ubi, or a two-layered coconut-sweet potato cake infused with pandan. I had a quick chat with the owner, who rung my items up, and she told me that she always gets excited when non-Indonesians (like me) find her store and get into their products. She also told me about their special Indonesian home cooking meals served on select days of the week, announced slightly in advance on their Instagram handle. It looks like they only started this in 2016, so four years after I left the area. It made me sad I didn’t live closer to this deliciousness.

Indonesia is one of the most populous countries on earth, and their cuisine is ultra diverse and so delicious with its endless herbs, spices, and flavors. Sometimes, I forget how delicious it is, especially since Elmhurst seems to be the only area in all of New York City where Indonesian food exists. Now, I feel like I need to go back when they have their chefs do special meals at the grocery store on Tuesdays, Thursdays, or Sundays, just to remember how multifaceted, spicy, and delicious the cuisine is.

Waddles the Penguin, Star of the Week Presentation

In the last several weeks, each student in Kaia’s 3K class took turns taking home the class stuffed animal named Waddles the penguin. The goal is to take Waddles on different daily adventures with them, write notes about what they did together, then report back to school on what they did. During individual presentations with a caregiver in tow, the student would read aloud their favorite book and share their poster with the rest of the class.

Today, it was Kaia’s turn to share what adventures she took Waddles on. During the last several days, Chris took photos of Kaia and Waddles doing different activities. He filled out the Star of the Week poster and also the notebook recording activities together. I came to her class at 9:30 this morning to present with her. And well, it was similar to the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival activity back in September where she didn’t really want to participate and wanted me to do everything. She got really shy and refused to face the class. One of the teachers and I had to keep coaxing her. So, I interacted with the teachers and students. I read the book aloud (of course, she still doesn’t read, so this was always going to be the case), and I shared with the class what she did. All the while, she said her ankle, knee, and leg hurt. She found random bits of dust on her pants and shirt and kept going to the trash bin to throw them away. And while going through the book, she called out that “Daddy loves chocolate” or, “I love beets!” All in all, it was definitely MY presentation. At the end, her main teacher presented her a box of surprise rewards, and she pulled out a long, colorful, stacked macaron pen. I looked at it and thought….. Hmmmm. Shouldn’t that be my reward because I was ultimately the one who did this presentation?

All parenting and early child development resources almost universally on the fact that almost all children will act worse and more baby-like and needy when their mother is around. It’s a sign they know they are in safe place and will always be protected. I suppose the rationale is very positive, but the outcome (e.g. in this case, this presentation) is not always positive.