Lessons Learned on Tantrums
Posted by G.I. Jane
About a year or so ago I posted about how my life was nothing but a series of pre-meditated actions and routines since I had a toddler. At the time, I was still calculating my moves, reflecting on my failures and above all else trying to determine why this was becoming second nature to me. And recently it hit me: tantrums.
In the last two years, I have been in mental and physical training for tantrums. I have learned to squash my fear of her meltdowns, to recognize I am the boss and will not be embarassed of her tantrum, and to repeat the mantra “her attitude is not a reflection of my ability to parent.”
Here are my lessons learned regarding tantrums:
1. Stay calm and in control of your actions. I like to pretend I’m a prisoner of warfare and am being interrogated for my knowledge on the latest mission. [...]
Top Five Lies Said to My Toddler
Posted by G.I. Jane
I don’t even know how I got myself into these lies; they just happened. I think they appeared somewhere between trying to get through the day and knowing what’s best for my daughter. Not a good excuse, I know.
This past weekend I was consciously aware of the lies, or little fibs as I now like to think of them, that I repeatedly made. Here are my top five:
- Have one more bite and I’ll…fill in the blank with whatever sounds enticing to a kid. My toddler is going through the grazing stage and forgets to eat. Therefore, I’ll nudge her to take a bite every now and then…just so I know she’s getting some food. My “one more bite” is a lie. It’s usually three or four before I’m caught not doing what I promised.
- It’s broken. In an effort to not change the DVD every minute, or giving her my phone, or letting her wear my nice [...]
Pinterest in a box? Genius!
Posted by G.I. Jane
I won’t speak for every parent out there, but I think many moms (especially of young children) have a love-hate relationship with Pinterest. I have hundreds of thousands of ideas for everything from a complete ensemble for a getaway to Fiji to how to tile a bathroom to recipes for a five course meal and extravagant table settings for that meal.
However, I spend the majority of my spare time with Pinterest searching, evaluating and repinning. Wherein lies the rub. I don’t have time to do any of my pins! I’m too exhausted after a full day of work, taking care of my two year old (and husband for that matter), cooking, cleaning, tending to the miscellaneous items and searching all 400 of my pins to actually accomplish anything.
I came across this [...]
Toddlers Do Not Make Good Flowergirls
Posted by G.I. Jane
I understand that having a flower girl in one’s wedding is a tradition that dates back to early Greek and Roman times (really, I’m not making this up) and is meant to scatter some type of flower or grain to represent fertility or eternal love or something…However, it seems to me, as a mother of a two year old that tradition would be better served by a young girl that will ACTUALLY walk down the aisle or ACTUALLY scatter said flowers. Not throw tantrums or refuse to move. And should that young girl not exist, then perhaps forgoing the flower girl tradition should be the next option. I’m sure the bride will still be fertile or happy in her marriage without stepping on a few wilted petals– trust me, I know.
Now, I [...]
Bringing Baby to Work?
Posted by G.I. Jane
Last week there was an emergency at day care and I had to pick up my daughter unexpectedly. With it being only 11:00 a.m. I still had a ton of work to do, and honestly, felt guilty about heading out so early in the day. Knowing I’d be taking a half day of vacation anyways, I brought her back to the office to finish a few things up before heading home.My colleagues, whom I adore for this reason and many, had set up my office to be a mini playroom. It helps that I work for an educational child care company – our corporate office has lots of toys and games sent by our vendors. Dolls, bean bags, balls and markers were strategically positioned all over my office—my daughter couldn’t take [...]
I’m a Mom and I Know It
Posted by G.I. JaneEvery once in a while I find myself caught in a true parental moment and realize I’m part of the club. Sometimes it’s an unavoidable situation, such as being thrown up on in the middle of the night by a sick child, or maybe it’s a completely impetuous act. But either way, I’m forced to face the music and acknowledge that my priorities, habits and instincts now revolve around a mini-me.
My most recent moment involves an online video and Cookie Monster. There was once a time when I turned to blogs or YouTube strictly for celebrity gossip or a replay of the MTV Music Awards. Now, what catches my attention are the Sesame Street parodies on hit songs, such as Elmo’s “I’m Elmo and I Know It” or more recently, Cookie Monster’s “Share It Maybe”.
I think I can safely attribute my fascination with these videos to my recent [...]
The Playground is Scary
Posted by G.I. Jane
My husband and I took our daughter to a new recycled tire playground this past weekend and it was definitely a little overwhelming…for us, not her.I’ve been anxiously waiting a year and a half to be able to take her to playgrounds and let her frolic around, though most of her frolicking was done with me in hand since she’s still a little young for much of the equipment. I expected that; I was okay with it. What I didn’t expect was the awkward interaction between the playground parents.
I was taken aback by the lack of playground etiquette. I’m kind of new to this scene, but aren’t parents supposed reiterating manners on the playground? Like “watch out for the baby” or “wait in line for the swing” or “don’t go up [...]
Is She Too Young for Stranger Danger?
Posted by G.I. JaneEvery evening I take my daughter for a walk around the block before we have dinner. She loves to be outside, see the train on the tracks behind our house, point at all the “doggies” and say hello to everyone she passes. Since she began talking, I encouraged her to say “hi” to everyone that said hello to her because it gave her an opportunity to practice saying a word she knew.
Now that she is almost 18 months, very mobile and even more friendly, I’m starting to become concerned that my encouragement to say “hi” to people will lead her to not be fearful of strangers. With the daily reports of missing children or violence against children, I have a heightened sense of awareness with stranger danger…a parent’s worst nightmare. The recent cases of Etan Patz and Leiby Kletzky are perfect examples, as recently covered by mom blog Strollerderby. [...]
It’s a Big Deal
Posted by G.I. Jane
I attended my first one-year-old’s birthday party this past year – or last year – and swore up and down that I wasn’t going to make a big deal of my daughter’s first birthday. I know there might be some parents reading this and gasping that I wouldn’t want to recognize such an important milestone…to those parents, please keep reading.I saw the stress my girlfriend encountered as she put together invitations – mailed them no less – and handmade the decorations and then carefully instrumented the entire event as she shuffled us from one part of the house to another for food, then present opening to cake. I endured this with no alcohol and at the whim of a toddler who had no clue what any of this was for. Afterwards, I [...]
Positive Pet Encounters of the Toddler Kind
Posted by Auntie Em
As a true pet parent, I know my dog is very alluring, particularly for children given his 8 pound stature. He is a friendly guy, to boot, though on leash his natural defense mechanism of “flight” is sorely hampered. So, incoming hands, kissers or hugs can be overwhelming. This was abundantly clear on our recent walk when two adorable toddlers made a bee line toward him for a meet and greet.Freeze frame. There are two ways this can go. Toddlers squeal with delight and charge in to kid-handle the dog. Or, toddlers screech to a halt within licking distance and look up pleadingly to say “We Pet?”
It is tough skill to teach to one so young, but essential for their survival. My dog might react with a quick run [...]
