How Much Inattentiveness Is Too Much?
As I've told many of my friends, I believe in leaving my kids to their own devices until medical assistance, physical intervention, or adult-level negotiation is required.
The upside of that approach is that my children play very well by themselves. Both are content "reading" a pile of books for 20 minutes at a stretch; each has personal interests to fill time as well. Our four-year-old will spend half an hour making a giant parking lot (which we have to step carefully over so as not to disturb any of the parked vehicles), and our two-year-old invents jovial conversations between Fisher-Price Little People, stuffed animals, and even cars stolen from said parking lot.
The downside? Every now and then, I don't get involved quite as early as I should. Yesterday before lunch, we were preparing to make cookies. For me, this was both a physical (clear kitchen counter, retrieve mixer from closet) and a mental (breathe deeply, store up patience) endeavor. So with my body and mind engaged in other activities, I was oblivious on a conscious level to what was happening around me.
I thought the kids were happily munching on oyster crackers (the snack situation here is dire at present...if I don't get to the store soon, we'll move on to uncooked pasta and cherry pie filling). It wasn't until I asked them to wash their hands so we could dig into the cookie-making that I noticed a problem.
Our youngest had been sitting at the butcher block table in our kitchen. When the hand-washing decree went out, she got off her stool and moved it to the sink (all with my back turned). When I heard the water come on, I spun on my heel to see if she needed any help with the soap, and that's when I noticed that she was wearing neither pants nor diaper.
"Where's your diaper, sweetie?" I asked, a note of concern in my voice. Had this been just a whim of fancy, or was there a big mess somewhere?
"In the garbage," she said, continuing to wash up.
"Why is it in the garbage?" I asked, making my way to the trash bin to peer inside.
"It was wet," she said, "so I took it off."
So perhaps it's time I start thinking of potty training. Guess I'd better get involved and pay attention...
The upside of that approach is that my children play very well by themselves. Both are content "reading" a pile of books for 20 minutes at a stretch; each has personal interests to fill time as well. Our four-year-old will spend half an hour making a giant parking lot (which we have to step carefully over so as not to disturb any of the parked vehicles), and our two-year-old invents jovial conversations between Fisher-Price Little People, stuffed animals, and even cars stolen from said parking lot.
The downside? Every now and then, I don't get involved quite as early as I should. Yesterday before lunch, we were preparing to make cookies. For me, this was both a physical (clear kitchen counter, retrieve mixer from closet) and a mental (breathe deeply, store up patience) endeavor. So with my body and mind engaged in other activities, I was oblivious on a conscious level to what was happening around me.
I thought the kids were happily munching on oyster crackers (the snack situation here is dire at present...if I don't get to the store soon, we'll move on to uncooked pasta and cherry pie filling). It wasn't until I asked them to wash their hands so we could dig into the cookie-making that I noticed a problem.
Our youngest had been sitting at the butcher block table in our kitchen. When the hand-washing decree went out, she got off her stool and moved it to the sink (all with my back turned). When I heard the water come on, I spun on my heel to see if she needed any help with the soap, and that's when I noticed that she was wearing neither pants nor diaper.
"Where's your diaper, sweetie?" I asked, a note of concern in my voice. Had this been just a whim of fancy, or was there a big mess somewhere?
"In the garbage," she said, continuing to wash up.
"Why is it in the garbage?" I asked, making my way to the trash bin to peer inside.
"It was wet," she said, "so I took it off."
So perhaps it's time I start thinking of potty training. Guess I'd better get involved and pay attention...
posted by Lisa Strandberg at 7:36 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home