Lessons Learnt From Your Little One Your little one has more wisdom to impart than you think. By Wairimu Gikenye As a parent, the days and nights are long, but with years passing by so fast, you sadly come to the realization that the years with your little one are truly short and you truly grasp the meaning of the cliché ‘they grow up too fast’. You have seen them through those spectacular ‘grab-the-camera’ baby milestones - their first smile, word and walk and even the bitter sweet times like teething and potty training. Then they possess this newfound ability to express themselves. As toddlers, they act without inhibition; speaking their minds, doing what they want, when and how they want to do it. These milestones are great and bring immense joy to a family giving insight into the person your little one is becoming – an individual with a unique personality. But many times you are on ‘parent mode’ trying to protect your child and at the same time, trying to instill the right behavior to your child that you often forget to see the unexpected lessons you could learn from your toddler. Life lessons we grapple to pass on to our kin like patience, living in the moment and humility don’t have to be instructions you acquire from self-help books or inspirational quotes but they can be learned from a source closer to your heart, your little one. Here are a couple of mothers who at one time have temporarily believed that their toddlers must be miniature Buddhas. Many would consider them young but these 25 year old mothers have learnt the secrets to life, love and true happiness from their pint sized teachers. Lesson One: Patience is Key “Nate has taught me to press on even when I think my efforts are useless. I have been teaching him ... ... middle of paper ... ...simple as you make it, because he thinks a roll of cello tape is a fabulous toy. I’m still trying to wrap my mind through that.” – Marcella “How does one not get bored of the same thing over and over again? Jeff dances to the ‘mazgwembe’ advert which would come on every night sometime before news. You should see him, so enthusiastic! The joys of motherhood – watching them grow up.” - Karambu Lesson Five: Don’t stress the small things “Still trying not to lose my cool when he does something like spill milk on the carpet, or when I help with his homework and he takes a while to understand. And when he broke my favourite vase, well it was just a vase.” - Marcella As the year comes to a close and the bitter-sweet moments passing by so fast, try look at the world through your little ones eyes, it will give you a little more to appreciate about the world, life and love.
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This example illustrates how the ‘good enough’ mother is not over bearing and offers limited freedom and independence for a child to explore their curiosity. This gives the baby a sense of control and power; while establishing a comfortable relationship (bond) with its mother. This type of environment presented in the example referred to as ‘the holding environment’ allows an infant to transition at is own rate as it goes through the stages of
I was confident, but I was overconfident. I had though that I would be able to take on the responsibility of taking care of my niece over the summer, but the truth had proved me wrong. In my imagination, taking care of a child meant providing him or her with basic needs such as food, shelter and playtime. It had never occurred to me that children are in need of love and care just as much as adults do. As I took on the role of being an aunt, I found myself to be completely lost as to how I should approach my five year old niece. I had never felt that way before. During those three months, I learned one very important lesson. Taking care of a child is time consuming and it is not as simple as a reward and punishment system. A child understands what is happening around them and reacts accordingly. Though they may not think the way adults do, they certainly are not unintelligent as they are full of curiosity and creativity.
Fortunately, children do not need “perfect” parents. They do need mothers and fathers who will think on their feet and who will be thoughtful about what they have done. They do need parents who can be flexible, and who can use a variety of approaches to discipline.” - James L. Hymes, Jr. This quote, I can say, is physically very true.
Before studying the differences in infants and toddlers, we know they develop differently. We never truly think about when and how infants start to develop physically, cognitively, emotionally, and socially. We just know that they grow up and while growing up, they learn new several things. By studying how they develop, we can determine when to start calling an infant a toddler. That change of infancy to toddlerhood occurs when the child starts to develop in those four categories. Throughout this paper, you will learn what each development is about and how infants act in those stages compared to toddlers.
child’s life are ones of great accomplishment in every developmental field, and as such there are
Since I was young until now, I have learned a lot of life’s lessons. And some I go by, and some I use once and then get rid of them. But there are ones that I keep for a short time, and keep for a long time, because you never know when they will come in handy.
I have had the luck of being the oldest of my mothers’ seven children, and the pleasure of having three of my own, and one step-son. I’ve spent a lot of time changing diapers, wiping noses, and kissing ouchies. I’ve carried babies on my hip that I’ve seen off to kindergarten, helped dressed for the first school dance, attended their graduation, and even been there when they have had their first baby. I have spent a lot of time analyzing their behavior, moods, or lack thereof. I’ve concluded that there are 4 types of children, I have been blessed with one of each. The 4 different types are: The Superstar, The Kool Kat, The Lil’ Mama or Little Man (depending on the sex of the child), and The Rebel.
Congratulations! Your tiny tot is one year old and stepping into toddlerhood. The next two years will bring incredible and astounding changes in your child. Brace yourself for a roller coaster ride that can’t be compared with anything in this world. There will be a lot of talking and running to look forward to, along with the preparation for the first day in a pre-school.
Just if you assume that your youngster cannot comprehend exactly what you are showing them, it is very crucial for you to start developing favorable actions at a very early age. A terrific parenting suggestion is to do every little thing you could to improve your youngster's self-confidence. The one as well as just objective of a
The first year of a child’s life is so moving and full of heart felts smiles. They grow and develop at should speeds that is so amazing to watch and encourage them to continue their development. Even though, as parent you want your child to reach those milestones at the age it states, parents must remember that all children develop at different rates. Milestones are simply information for parents and other personals to monitor a young child’s development and growth
Through the past ten months, I have learned a lot about babies, since babies have a lot to teach. Though I learned this from an instance specifically involving a baby, I learned that sometimes the easiest lessons to learn can be the hardest lessons to teach. About two weeks, my sister, Katie, and her husband, Jeremiah, came up to Suffern, New York, to attend a conference. Katie and Jeremiah also brought their son, Noah, who is my ten month old nephew. For the first couple nights, Noah was
Toddlers are now able to explore their environment freely. They don't need to be picked up to look around now, and can walk to many places. Toddlers think for themselves and are conveying these thought in many ways (mostly through talking.) Toddlers should be observed when in a preschool environment because For one, we can learn how to teach them according to their interests and preferences. Most physical disabilities become more apparent during this time, so observing children for common characteristics is important. We can also observe them and find their levels of cognitive and social development. By knowing these levels we are able to develop daily schedules that can work on the weak points in each individuals life. If a child really needs help with their fine motor skills an...
The parent interviewed was my mother Carolyn, who spoke these very works. My recollection of Kenneth as an infant through childhood brought back such wonderful memories. From the moment, Kenneth was born, I was in love. He was such a happy baby, always smiling and giggling. He always wanted me to play with him, hold him, kiss and sing to him. Kenneth and I had such a strong, close bond that and he was very attached to me. He started walking at the age of 12 months. His speech was delayed and he did not start forming actual works other than “Mama” and “Dada” until the age of 3. He did not start socializing with others besides his family until he was in Kindergarten and around other kids his own age.