Us toddlers, have a secret code of ethics that we live by. If you're not toddler you don't know what I am talking about, well that's just your bad, and I'm sorry, as a boring adult, you've been left out once again! What toddler gooble gabble is he talking about you think?
Well it's like the usual toddler conundrums that you face on a daily basis, let me enlighten you dear adult parent. It's like when your child screams bloody murder that he or she wants kimbula banis for breakfast and when the said parent rushes to the store to get fresh ones, waits in traffic for a good twenty minutes all the while the toddler cries in the back seat like a starved child who hasn't eaten in an year, then dash back into the house, trip over fallen toy injury face and dignity, then once safely in at the breakfast table again, you the toddler calmly say you actually hate kimbula banis and you want cereal. Or let's say when we are at the beach, we ask you to hold a shell, we expect for you to be still having it on your person three months down the line, when we suddenly remember.
Saying that you don't have it, that the holiday was three months ago, doesn't compute in our toddler heads, dear parent. We are toddlers do you not understand, we don't have any concept of space or time, all we know is that you don't have our seashell and we will spend a good three hours screaming, until of course the aggrieved parent decides to once again drive at full speed to Mt Lavinia beach to retrieve any shell!. Talking about space, I really don't understand as the parent why YOU simply do not understand, that our toddler beds might be all lovely and decorative with cartoon Disney themed figures in different colored hues but what ever, we are simply NOT going to sleep in them ALL night. I mean talk about putting pressure on a child, dear parent STOP IT, you are ruining my childhood. The only way that you can solve this situation is allowing us, EVERY night to come to your bed and once we do come to your bed, allocating us space on the entire ten foot bed to us. After all we are your precious children, sleeping on the floor is good for forty plus something year olds I read some where.
Of course it goes without saying that the most practiced toddler related mindboggling of behavior that we practice is that public places are only not to be visited but is the perfect place to shame parents. Grocery store, relatives house, public library, park, fish shop...yep just about any where is when we will have the tsunami of all tantrums, over something nonsensical, we will scream,we will holler, we will cry till we are hiccuping, dry heaving. As the parent it will be humiliating, disturbing, you will be ostracized from society as THOSE parents who cannot control their children. YES we will do this for you. Because simply we love you a whole lot, thanks for being our Parents!
What to expect from your toddler?
At age 3 your child is now a chatterbox; he's using language to argue his point of view. Since he loves to be with other children and has boundless energy, he may have a tough time playing quietly at home. Taking a 3-year-old to a gym or karate class will give him the social contact he craves and let him release energy.At this age, kids need that as much as they need affection and food. He also knows right from wrong, understands cause and effect, and retains information for several hours. Consequences can be delayed for maximum impact, and explanations can be more detailed. For example, if he hurls food at his sister, remind him about the no-food-throwing rule and explain that if he does it again, he won't get to watch T.V. If he continues to throw food, take it away from him. When he asks to watch TV, say, "Remember when Mommy told you not to throw cereal -- and you did anyway? Well, Mommy said the consequence is T.V today."
Late night visits from your child
Of course, not even the most competent snoozers are immune to sleep disturbances. Common preschool fears, including monsters, ghosts, or other things that go bump in the night, can turn sound slumberers into troubled ones. Also, nightmares, which peak between the ages of 3 and 6, may prompt periodic sprints to the master suite. Once your child makes the transition to a big bed, you can still sell staying in her room as a positive experience.. Develop a plan, and stick with it. At 3 a.m. it's easy to get worn down by your child's pleas – no matter how dead set you may be against co-sleeping. But if she manages to wiggle her way in, even once or twice a week, she's bound to keep trying.So haul yourself out of bed, escort her back to her room, give her a quick kiss, and leave. Be prepared to repeat this routine over and over if necessary.
By Mayuri Jayasinghe
0 Comments