Anyone that has had a one year old knows they are so adorable and so fun as they start to turn into little people. It is great. And really, I love my baby dearly, but I think I am going to pull my hair out. She is making me CRAZY! It's been awhile since we've had a little one year old under foot, so maybe all my kids have been naughty and I've just forgotten, but this girl takes the cake. Here is a typical fifteen minutes in her life (picature me frantically following behind trying to do damage control): empty the recyclying, empty her drawers, pull her shoes out of her shoe cupboard and scatter them across the house, tear a page out of a library book, climb up on the brick fireplace and knock over the fire screen, empty out the bathroom drawers (the top drawer is now broken due to the hanging weight of a curious baby constantly peering into it on her tiptoes), empty the shelves of my bedside stand (my journals, books, important papers), knock over the lamp (which is officially broken, thank you very much). Why not baby proof you ask? We have to an extent. I've always been a firm believer in setting boundaries and not rearranging our house. I see too many kids who rule the roost, and it bugs, so our parenting theory is to set boundaries. All my other kids learned very quickly to stay out of the things they weren't supposed to get into. It made it very easy to take them to places, like Grandma Hastings, where there were loads of little breakable doo-dads. All we had to do was say no, and give them a stern look and they stopped. Not Clara!!! She shakes her head and carries on. Naptime and bedtime are like heaven, but she doesn't nap for long enough to do all the damage reapair that needs doing. Maybe I've forgotten how we trained the others, or I've simply blocked out the extremely frustrating age where they were destructive tornados! I can't keep up. I want to give up! Good thing she is cute and we love her. But grrrrrrrrr.
Off to make trouble, no doubt!
15 comments:
A ball of endless, willful energy. Again, Anna, I wonder where she comes from.
she's much too cute to stay frustrated for long!!
I semi-baby proofed our house as well. It never made sense to me to hide all the DVD's in my house so the kids wouldn't touch them...they aren't learning, they are just not able to touch them. Then if someone else's house we're visiting doesn't have the DVD's hidden they pull all of them off the shelf...no thanks! So dangerous things we keep out of reach but everything else we just constantly remind them not to touch. It takes me time and patience on the parents end but in my opinion the better route to go.
Best of luck with little darling Clara. Whenever I call and complain to my mom about my fireball 1.5 year old she reminds me that their little personalities must be as they are to live in the world they will be a part of growing up...that helps :)
She is darling and so I am relatively confident that you won't "kill her and do her work for the dead." She is VERY bright and is soaking it all up.
Don't give up; she'll be in kindergarten before you can turn around.
Love and empathy.
D.
Isn't it so funny how every kid is different. We have never really had to "child proof" our house. My kids have never been climbers either...but you never know what is waiting just around the corner. I never say never!
funny post anna, it made me a little nervous for what i'm in store for when sophie starts moving. and i appreciate your thoughts on not babyproofing your home completely. i think i will do the same, it makes sense!
hehehe... that was a funny post. Clara sure is cute! I echo Christy's comments - it made me nervous for 6+ months down the road...
and I liked the thoughts on babyproofing. I have been wondering lately what to do about that... thanks!
That is exactly how Jackson is right now. He LOVES trouble and is constantly seeking for it and enjoying it while it lasts. I feel like I am ready to pull my hair out! Please let me know if you think of a solution. :)
I love it!! I'm totally loving having a one year old right now and even with the crazies, I think that I'm going to be really sad when the baby grows up. Hold on, mama!
She is so cute! My babyproofing philosophy is the same as yours and it works well once they start to understand the limits. Eva was my busybody (maybe it's a girl thing). Beck is really mellow, we just have to keep him away from toilet paper, he unrolls it all and puts it in the toilet! And kleenex, he pretends to blow his nose with every last tissue in the box! (this is so cute to me that I have been know to sit silently by videotaping:)
Clara is a curious one and in some way down the road it will serve her well, so go buy some Harmon's venezuelan chocolate bars and enjoy the ride!
She's adorable. This is a fun but exhausting age. I am started to realize how tiring the next few years are going to be! Our relaxing trip planned for this summer will be mostly spent chasing the little one so she doesn't fall in the pool and drown. So much for a vacation! I know what you mean about the naps - heaven. Clara sounds like she has a little extra energy and will, though. You may have to use some new strategies for this one. But it is definitely hard to keep up with #4!
So glad to be grandparents! This is the price you have to pay so you can be grandparents one day.
I remember how we trained Rob. Mom's still repenting! And Christian was even more inquisitive.
This too shall pass -- and one day you'll look back on these days fondly -- or not!
Dear Anna, I remember those days...sort of... that's the thing about time (and aging) you do tend to forget. And there is nothing like being the grandparent!!! All the love and none of the hassle. While that is no consolation for you now it will be someday when Clara calls you and asks you how you could stand babies that got into everything. This really doesn't last long, just a few more years:). Give her a big hug from me, Grammy
she sounds just like my Sammie Lou! Start childproofing honey! What ever take to make it easier for you. They all come differently and some will do with boundaries and some will fight you till you break - so pick your battles carefully with the strong willed children. She sure is cute!
ps, can I say I'm pulling the "know it all, with out really knowing anything" card :)
love ya
Clara sounds exactly like my Henry Cash. Always into EVERYTHING. Especially the stuff you've told him 5 times not to get into. UGH! I feel your pain!
Another angle, from a different perspective. This is a poem I came across when I was a brand new mommy, and have hung on to for nearly thirty years! Kinda liked the philosophy. But I do believe that everyone has to find what works for them. And I agree with the person who said you have to pick your battles--just make sure the fight is worth it. They do grow up. Believe me, they do! Faster than you can believe.
Here's the (untitled) poem:
It’s been three years now
Since I had our first child.
The house is a nursery I live in
All objects are on their level
All my prized possessions are in mothballs
Save my most precious children
Who dart, dash, and rush toward life
Experiencing all they can.
I live in their playyard, their playhouse
Their nursery school of games and friends
And moms who become my lasting friends
And dads who with my husband
Grow to experience fatherhood together
At building playhouses and playing chase
And riding high on slides at the park.
Our lives are totally different now
I am glad we are riding with it.
It’s so much easier
So much more fun to grow with our children
Than to ignore their existence and force
Them into an adult world of no-no’s.
Oh yes, I am a bit different from
Some folks.
But I’ll be with my family at this time
At this age—with these experiences—
Once.
And I love living the once to the hilt!
There will be days to be my other selves.
But for now I find growing with my children
Teaches me.
I find that my life is rich
And full
And abundant.
I’ve surrendered myself to my children
And I’m glad!
Too soon this time will pass.
--Sue Charles
Post a Comment