"There is a wonderful mythical law of nature that the three things we crave most in life -- happiness, freedom, and peace of mind -- are always attained by giving them to someone else." - Peyton Conway March
I am trying to teach my son to share. I use big words like generosity, but he can’t say that yet. He shouts “Mine!” instead.
It’s about a shark-head bike helmet (ridged with pointy white teeth and a blue fin on top). He doesn’t want his little sister to even touch it. The merest tickle of her tiny finger along the helmet sends him into spasms of “Mine, mine, mine!”
“Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.” - George S. Patton
This blog is dedicated to GraceLikeRain, mother of four, who recently wrote in about her children’s fears. I couldn’t stop thinking about her courage - while her husband is in Afghanistan, she is raising their family. Four children under six years old!
My son was afraid of hats. It had something to do with The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss. (He is a little sinister, come to think of it.) It didn’t matter what kind of hat - any time I tried to put one on him, it was as if a monster were about to sit on Alessio’s head. That mysterious Cat and his striped top-hat had also triggered other anxieties in my toddler: bicycles and umbrellas, to name a few. Yet The Cat in the Hat is still one of Alessio’s favorite books.
Fear. We all have it. It's a fact of human nature. A survival tool meant for our own good. Fight or flight. Knowing when to stand strong and when to run.
Ever wondered what's it like inside the mind of a four-year-old? Here's a typical day:
4:30 a.m. Hmm…I’m half awake. It would be so much cozier in Mommy and Daddy’s bed - right smack between them where I can make my body seem almost twice as big, and Mommy and Daddy can pretty much kiss the rest of their sleep goodbye.
“Moto Raff. Moto Raff.”
Alessio didn’t want his nap. He wanted "moto raff" - to sit on our friend’s motorcycle stored in our garage, a treat he gets to do sometimes, based on good behavior - which wasn’t today, or most of that week. My first week back at work. Alessio was more whiny than usual. Of course I had noticed, but hesitated about what to do. Now that I had less time with Alessio, the last thing I wanted was to get home and become "The Enforcer."
So I’ve been in the twins game now for about thirty-two months - thirty-two looong, crazy making, longing for Xanax months. I’ve experienced colic - twins with colic is not for the weak of heart, let me assure you. If you are pregnant with twins, I’d like to tell you that colic is livable, you will get through it, blah blah blah but I can’t. It wouldn’t be right to mislead you that way.
Toddlers vary in size based on a number of factors, including diet and frame size. Some are naturally slender, while others are considered underweight. If your toddler falls into the underweight category, helping her gain weight leads her to a healthier situation. Many toddlers stay busy and don't stop to eat or have picky tendencies. A strategic approach to deal with these stumbling blocks helps your child gain weight.
Never again. Never again will I step foot in a restaurant with my three-year-old. If you even hear me utter the words, “we’re going out to breakfast, lunch or dinner with the kids”, tie me up and lock me in a closet. Make sure I have some water though, as I tend to get thirsty quickly. Only five ounces though, anything more and I’ll be sure to wet myself.
Every mom has experienced them, and if you're not at that stage yet...just wait! The stroke of the clock that ushers in your child's toddler years also starts the ruthless era of the temper tantrum. Patty Onderko from Parenting.com helped us figure out the rationale behind your child's emotional explosions.
While some toddlers are willing to greet anyone with open arms, others shy away from anyone other than mom and dad. It can be challenging to deal with a tyke who seems fearful of everyone, because relatives and friends may feel slighted by this hesitancy, and the toddler herself may appear to suffer extreme emotional distress. Although it may seem a serious problem, however, stranger anxiety is often nothing to worry about and is, instead, simply a part of normal child development.
My three-year old has just hit the prime of the terrible two’s (I guess he waited to make a grand entrance), with the strength of the Hulk, the charm of Hugh Grant, and the speed of Superman. My house is child-proofed for Hannibal Lecter. All kitchen chairs are tied to the table, there are no knick-knacks or picture frames around the house, cleaning supplies are above the sink, any other piece of furniture that can be moved is in storage and we don’t use any knifes, we cut our food with lasers.
