Annoying parenting post
Things the kid can do by herself, at the advanced age of almost exactly 2.5 years old:
1. Unscrew the lid of the water bottle.
2. Climb out of the bathtub, retrieve the towel, dry herself semi-adequately.
3. Answer the phone (but not politely).
4. Talk confidently to strangers.
5. Turn on the stereo, take out the CD, put it carelessly on the floor, put in another CD, play the CD.
6. Take all her clothes off, including diaper, and put her clothes back on, omitting the diaper.
7. Not hit the kid who's hitting her or pulling her hair. She says "stop pulling my hair; it's hurting me!" (Unfortunately, this does not actually work to stop the undesirable behavior - she's a little like the UN. I'm thinking hitting would be substantially more effective.)
8. Get her toothbrush and toothpaste, unscrew the lid of the toothpaste, put some toothpaste on the toothbrush, put the lid back on the toothpaste.
9. Play weird games by herself for over an hour at a time while I ignore her.
She has learned SO much already - social, academic, technological, and emotional skills in vast quantities. I feel amazed by how much she and her peers have already figured out, and paralyzed by how much they still have to learn, like the capitals of all the states, and when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em. I've been teaching her "lefty loosey, righty tighty" (hence those amazing unscrewing skills), so I think that's a good start. Tomorrow we might tackle "i before e except after c."
1. Unscrew the lid of the water bottle.
2. Climb out of the bathtub, retrieve the towel, dry herself semi-adequately.
3. Answer the phone (but not politely).
4. Talk confidently to strangers.
5. Turn on the stereo, take out the CD, put it carelessly on the floor, put in another CD, play the CD.
6. Take all her clothes off, including diaper, and put her clothes back on, omitting the diaper.
7. Not hit the kid who's hitting her or pulling her hair. She says "stop pulling my hair; it's hurting me!" (Unfortunately, this does not actually work to stop the undesirable behavior - she's a little like the UN. I'm thinking hitting would be substantially more effective.)
8. Get her toothbrush and toothpaste, unscrew the lid of the toothpaste, put some toothpaste on the toothbrush, put the lid back on the toothpaste.
9. Play weird games by herself for over an hour at a time while I ignore her.
She has learned SO much already - social, academic, technological, and emotional skills in vast quantities. I feel amazed by how much she and her peers have already figured out, and paralyzed by how much they still have to learn, like the capitals of all the states, and when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em. I've been teaching her "lefty loosey, righty tighty" (hence those amazing unscrewing skills), so I think that's a good start. Tomorrow we might tackle "i before e except after c."
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