All parents learn that a quiet child does not necessarily equate to a good child. Kids get quiet when they are concentrating on solving a problem. As grown-ups, we do the same thing. However, our problems are things like, how do I get the internet working again, or what spices do I need to add to this dish to make it just right. For children, when they are solving "problems" they are often getting into mischief.
Gwen has been able to entertain herself much better since she has started crawling and cruising. She can go get new toys, reach more things (both good and bad), and explore. When she became mobile, instead of becoming more vigilant, I let my guard down. I didn't have to anticipate her needs quite so much to keep a peaceful household because she was able now to meet some of her own needs. Unfortunately, she has used my newfound multitasking to her advantage.
About a week ago, I was ironing clothes in our foyer by the bottom of the stairs. This may seem like a weird location to iron, but I was able to push the ironing board up against two walls and hide the cord to the iron from little roaming hands. Gwen was playing on the floor next to me. She had been pulling herself up on the wrought iron railing for days and would walk along the wall, then place her hands on the second stair and continue her trip across the stair to the other wall. Keith had to leave soon for work, so I was very focused on ironing so he would have clothes to wear. I looked up at her, watched her standing on the floor with her hands on the second step. I ironed a pant leg. I looked back at my quiet, sweet baby, and she had one knee on the first step, one knee on the second step, and her hands were on the third step. She was quiet because she was throwing her full focus into climbing the stairs. She has not tried climbing the steps again because I swept her off of the steps, scaring her. Hopefully she stays good and scared until we are able to install our lower level gate.
A few of days ago, I set Gwen in her room to play with her stuffed animals while I walked 10 feet down the hall to the bathroom to brush my hair and get a hair tie. Surely, she couldn't get into trouble that quickly, right? Wrong. I noticed, once again, that she was being very quiet. When I walked into her nursery I found her standing next to a box of kleenex, pulling tissues out one at a time and discarding them on the floor beside her. Thankfully I caught her when she had only gotten through about 10 or 15.
Two days ago she was extra quiet and extra crafty. At one point, I was addressing some envelopes when she pulled herself up on the end table. I noticed that she looked about 6 inches taller than usual, at which point I went to the other side of the table. She was standing on a box so she could reach more things on the table. Later, as I was trying to finish addressing envelopes, she snuck behind my chair to the laundry basket of folded clothing. By the time I finished addressing my envelopes and got up to play with her I had a floor full of unfolded laundry.
So maybe a little crying isn't so bad. At least when there is noise I know where my child is and what she is doing.
Gwen has been able to entertain herself much better since she has started crawling and cruising. She can go get new toys, reach more things (both good and bad), and explore. When she became mobile, instead of becoming more vigilant, I let my guard down. I didn't have to anticipate her needs quite so much to keep a peaceful household because she was able now to meet some of her own needs. Unfortunately, she has used my newfound multitasking to her advantage.
About a week ago, I was ironing clothes in our foyer by the bottom of the stairs. This may seem like a weird location to iron, but I was able to push the ironing board up against two walls and hide the cord to the iron from little roaming hands. Gwen was playing on the floor next to me. She had been pulling herself up on the wrought iron railing for days and would walk along the wall, then place her hands on the second stair and continue her trip across the stair to the other wall. Keith had to leave soon for work, so I was very focused on ironing so he would have clothes to wear. I looked up at her, watched her standing on the floor with her hands on the second step. I ironed a pant leg. I looked back at my quiet, sweet baby, and she had one knee on the first step, one knee on the second step, and her hands were on the third step. She was quiet because she was throwing her full focus into climbing the stairs. She has not tried climbing the steps again because I swept her off of the steps, scaring her. Hopefully she stays good and scared until we are able to install our lower level gate.
A few of days ago, I set Gwen in her room to play with her stuffed animals while I walked 10 feet down the hall to the bathroom to brush my hair and get a hair tie. Surely, she couldn't get into trouble that quickly, right? Wrong. I noticed, once again, that she was being very quiet. When I walked into her nursery I found her standing next to a box of kleenex, pulling tissues out one at a time and discarding them on the floor beside her. Thankfully I caught her when she had only gotten through about 10 or 15.
Two days ago she was extra quiet and extra crafty. At one point, I was addressing some envelopes when she pulled herself up on the end table. I noticed that she looked about 6 inches taller than usual, at which point I went to the other side of the table. She was standing on a box so she could reach more things on the table. Later, as I was trying to finish addressing envelopes, she snuck behind my chair to the laundry basket of folded clothing. By the time I finished addressing my envelopes and got up to play with her I had a floor full of unfolded laundry.
So maybe a little crying isn't so bad. At least when there is noise I know where my child is and what she is doing.
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