Independence...
... is a double edged sword.
One of the things I have worked to teach to both of my children is an ability to amuse themselves. Even as babies I wanted them to be okay with entertaining themselves, finding ways to play that didn't require input from an outside source. I have known too many kids who were lost without someone to entertain them, and as a somewhat solitary person myself, I wanted the kids to be okay with being alone.
There is, of course, a little bit of enlightened self-interest that is part of this, but it's not just because I wanted to get a few minutes here and there to myself. Punkin is pretty good about playing alone, although she more and more often craves the company of her friends ("mom, can I have a playdate today?" is a frequent question around here).
Buddy is also developing skills at amusing himself, although as the second child he more often has a playmate around. The problem I'm running into with Buddy is a different one:
Some of you may remember the day that I found him in the bathtub, having climbed in all by himself. These days he has figured out how to climb up onto Punkin's chair, and from there up to the kitchen table. I can't tell you how many times the other day I came back into the kitchen, after having just gone into the other room, to find him sitting on his haunches in the middle of the kitchen table. It's getting to the point where I can't leave him alone for even a minute, since I don't know what he's going to climb up on next. This one's a climber, alright, FSM help me.
One of the things I have worked to teach to both of my children is an ability to amuse themselves. Even as babies I wanted them to be okay with entertaining themselves, finding ways to play that didn't require input from an outside source. I have known too many kids who were lost without someone to entertain them, and as a somewhat solitary person myself, I wanted the kids to be okay with being alone.
There is, of course, a little bit of enlightened self-interest that is part of this, but it's not just because I wanted to get a few minutes here and there to myself. Punkin is pretty good about playing alone, although she more and more often craves the company of her friends ("mom, can I have a playdate today?" is a frequent question around here).
Buddy is also developing skills at amusing himself, although as the second child he more often has a playmate around. The problem I'm running into with Buddy is a different one:
Some of you may remember the day that I found him in the bathtub, having climbed in all by himself. These days he has figured out how to climb up onto Punkin's chair, and from there up to the kitchen table. I can't tell you how many times the other day I came back into the kitchen, after having just gone into the other room, to find him sitting on his haunches in the middle of the kitchen table. It's getting to the point where I can't leave him alone for even a minute, since I don't know what he's going to climb up on next. This one's a climber, alright, FSM help me.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home