Snow day, cabin fever, boredom, desperation and creativity
It's been a mild winter. The kind of winter where we aren't forced to stay inside for the most part but as a stay at home mother, I have no desire to take the time or effort required to get her out the door unless it's mandatory. And when I need to do that, it's a process.
1. Properly dress my toddler (which takes approximately 35 minutes).
Me-"Where are your socks?"
My Toddler-"Over there!" (Runs away, taking her pants off and
now thinks shes started a fun game.)
Me- "Put your pants back on!"
My Toddler-"No!"
Me- (Pointing at her with the socks I was trying to find) "I'm going to count!"
Me-(Realizing I've had her socks in my hands the entire time)
"Please come, we have to go."
She finally comes, we put on her hat, her scarf, her gloves,
(don't forget the socks that I was holding the entire time), her shoes.
2. Bring a buffet of food options.
We grab the snacks. (GOD FORBID WE FORGET SNACKS.)
Pretzel sticks, goldfish, raisins, gummies, yogurts, pouches, etc)
3. Don't forget her special friend!
We grab her favorite stuffed animal of the day, and get to the stairs
as she starts to wiggle and says, "Mommy, I have to go potty!"
4. Back to the bathroom.
And as proud as I am that she is acknowledging the sensation of having to go, I am also thinking "I could have already been back from CVS to get that scotch tape I thought I had in the junk drawer." Then, having emptied her bladder, we begin the process again, with just a little less patience and energy.
So, we stay home.
It can make me feel defeated but is less frustrating on most days.
Have I spoken about losing my train of thought being a mother? Let's get back to the point of this blabber.
We're stuck at home. We've done the playing in the snow. We've eaten a cupcake to celebrate pooping on the potty. We did the baking and destroyed the kitchen and now what? Lets learn about something that I learned with my Bachelors of Fine Arts degree (ha), Color Theory.
My toddler is a genius. (No, really, I swear). She absorbs everything when shes first taught it and can spit it back out at you when asked a question about it. It can make me so proud and so exhausted at the same time. I've been bumping up my game with her because as a mother, I am finding that boredom for her equals chaos. She is driven by curiosity and frustrated when she isn't CONSTANTLY stimulated. I refuse to use the TV unless I'm desperate or it's the weekend.
So I decided to start teaching her about things that excited me when I was in school, as an artist.
Color Theory can feel like a science experiment for these little minions.
The sun was shining through the window this morning and I could see the light beaming through her Picasso magnet blocks. If you don't have these, you need them. I started to show her what happens when 2 primary colors combine and soon enough she was guessing what the secondary color was. (And there was no paint to clean up.) It was an easy, simple directive that we both enjoyed while she was learning something.
It was something that stuck in my head through dinner time and continuing into dish washing. Why don't I keep incorporating things that I am passionate about into her schedule? Why do I feel like I have to push it aside because I think it wont entertain her? We don't have to forget about the things we loved for the ones we love. It's not fair to you or to your tiny little people.
We don't have to forget about the things we loved for the ones we love.
Find an alternative method to make something exciting for both of you. Like, color theory.
Comment on how you introduce your hobbies and passions to your children.
'Til next time.