Birthday
MG turned 2 recently. Not quite the monumental birthday of turning 10 (double digits), 13 (teenager), 16 (driving), 18 (adult) or 21 (drinking) but I thought it was eventful none the less. Oddly enough, I think I have changed more as a result of my daughter getting older than she has. In honor of my daughter's 2nd birthday, I decided to make a list of things I have learned from watching her.
- If its worth walking to, its worth running to. No matter how mundane the task, if she makes up her mind to move her body to a new location, she will be running at full speed. I'm considering doing this throughout my day.
- Communication comes in many forms. My daughter hasn't quite mastered the English language, but she has picked up some sign language to compensate. Pretty cool, actually, but it brings on an entirely new set of challenges. For example, something as simple as talking to her about farm animals could initiate different responses. If you mention a dog, you might get her to say "dog". She might decide imitation is the proper communication method by saying either "bow wow" or "ruff ruff". She might even give you the sign for dog. Be ready for any and all responses.
- Schedules and routines equal happiness. Her entire day, whether at home or at daycare is heavily scheduled. It has to be or else there is chaos. Besides, she loves the routines and knows them well. On school days, she knows that Hi5 comes on at 7:08AM (how's that for a specific start time?).
- Doing things you want to do usually come after things you have to do. There's a lot of bargaining in our house now. The promise of play time can typically get her to eat a couple more bites at the dinner table. The potential of computer time or a viewing of Curious George can get her into the bathtub. She has come to terms with it.
-Sometimes you just need some alone time. One of the most mature actions I have seen from her. MG spends her days either with a classroom of other 2 year olds or with her brother. I have seen her grab a book or a toy and spend some quality time by herself. I know I need some alone time on occasion, why shouldn't a toddler?