You may be source of ire for your child
BY ALTHEA PETERSON World Staff Writer
Monday, December 17, 2012
12/17/12 at 6:27 AM
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Here are five things I've learned about kids in the early months of parenting.
1. Changing routines is asking for trouble.
I am starting to discover why more experienced parents like firm bedtimes and firm house rules: They're so easy to break when they're flexible.
In eight months, we conditioned our baby to love bath time. She would talk happily, splash, play with toys, even try to chew on nearby chrome faucets (because they're shiny, of course).
Whoever thought that simply moving bath time to a boring bathtub in a new container would be such a traumatic experience.
I wonder if the real lesson is "Once you have changed something, stick with it." If so, I've failed.
2. Kids get bored fast.
It would be very convenient if she was entertained endlessly in a toy that confines her to one chair or one part of the house.
Alas, she demands (verbally, loudly, constantly) that she have endless variety with new discoveries as often as possible.
But, this also keeps us moving as well, so perhaps we're getting more healthy along with our baby daughter by traveling around the house instead of sitting still near the TV.
3. Kids want you to do things faster than you're doing them.
Patience is for adults.
If our daughter sees the food we are about to serve her just out of reach, this is unacceptable.
If we aren't getting the spoon into her mouth by the time she opens her mouth again after swallowing the previous bit, this is unacceptable.
If you are not removing her from the crib to start her day prior to her waking up and crying, this is very, very unacceptable.
4. Kids get upset if they don't think they're being heard or understood.
I think that most everyone can relate to this, but kids are just easier to overlook sometimes because they are still learning how to express their feelings ... and they're shorter.
In the case of babies, not recognizing the right crying noise will result in more frantic crying: "Wah" does not mean put me in another toy, "wah" means change my diaper!
5. Kids value being around people more than being around toys.
One of the happiest parts of my day - and my daughter's day too it appears - is when we see each other for the first time after being apart during the work day.
She'll smile, she'll kick her feet excitedly, she'll crawl in my direction as fast as she can.
While she's starting to become more independent as she gets older, her happiest, most talkative and most energetic times are when she has a live audience.
Perhaps I'm not learning about kids. Perhaps I'm just learning about people.
Althea Peterson 918-581-8361
althea.peterson@tulsaworld.com
