I have two books by Jon J. Muth that are written and illustrated for children but actually contain wonderful lessons for adults as well. One of them is Zen Shorts and the other one is The Three Questions. I highly recommend both of them. I recently wrote down a quote from The Three Questions because I felt like it was something I needed to keep in mind for times when I get swept up in the stress of parenting. It doesn't just apply to parenting but to life in general.
"Remember then that there is only one important time, and that time is now. The most important one is always the one you are with. And the most important thing is to do good for the one who is standing at your side. For those, my dear boy, are the answers to what is most important in this world. This is why we are here." Jon J. Muth
I find that it is so easy to worry about what is to come rather than really focus on meeting LB's needs in the present moment. I have been working hard on that this year and I think it has made daily life so much better. Instead of fretting about how LB's noise and touch issues will play out in a pre-school environment, I am focusing on creating fun times for us NOW at home. Or rather than worry if LB's GI issues will result in surgery, I am trying to just take each day as it is and be glad that he seems to be feeling better. I am not sure if it is his age or this renewed focus but I've been feeling like we are in a good groove these days. Perhaps it is a combination of both. I do realize this could all come crashing down on me at any moment, like when his two year molars start coming in. But I think we are prone to mark the tough times and it is just as important to recognize when things are going well and when progress has been made. Maybe I am just better at parenting a two year old than I was a one year old? I remember over the summer LB and I were having a particularly bad day but I really wanted to go buy him a water table, with the hopes it would provide for good outdoor entertainment. We were at the store and a sales woman approached me to see if I needed help. She asked how old LB was. When I told her he was 16 months she commented on what a cute and wonderful age that was. I had to hold back from punching her. I wanted to scream, "Are you kidding me! This age sucks. He can walk and get into everything but he can't communicate yet so he just throws fits!" Instead I just smiled at her because that's how I am. But I am glad that if someone said that to me today I could smile and not feel like a total fake.
On Mondays, we rarely have anything scheduled so I have been trying to make sure I have a fun sensory activity for us to do. Yesterday we played with shaving cream. LB did this at his most recent OT appointment and loved it. His therapist and I both thought he would need to be coaxed in to playing with it but he proved us wrong. He took one look at all the shaving cream on the table and dived right in with both hands. He kept asking for more. Then his OT added red and blue paint and he loved that too. I tried to create a similar scenario here at home but I did want to contain the mess as best I could. I strapped LB in his high chair and put the shaving cream all over the tray. Initially he only played with one hand but then on his own he started playing with both hands. I was glad I didn't have to encourage him to do that but he did it on his own. Sadly, I don't have any washable paint but after he tired of just the shaving cream I added some rice to the mixture to give it a different texture. That definitely helped prolong the activity. He asked me to play with him and I have to admit that it did feel funny to have all that squishy shaving cream on my hands. Maybe I need some sensory work too.
Once he was done I just stripped him down, put his stool at the sink and let him clean himself. LB's favorite thing to say these days is, "I do." So I try and accomodate the "I do" as much as possible. It worked well in this case because while he was rinsing off I could clean up the tray and chair. Don't be afraid of the mess with this activity. I just used a few dish towels and everything was cleaned up pretty quickly. And then LB continued to play in the sink and I was able to eat breakfast uninterrupted!
Please remind me of this post the next time I feel defeated, which could easily be tomorrow.
"People gather bundles of sticks to build bridges they never cross." Author Unknown
"Remember then that there is only one important time, and that time is now. The most important one is always the one you are with. And the most important thing is to do good for the one who is standing at your side. For those, my dear boy, are the answers to what is most important in this world. This is why we are here." Jon J. Muth
I find that it is so easy to worry about what is to come rather than really focus on meeting LB's needs in the present moment. I have been working hard on that this year and I think it has made daily life so much better. Instead of fretting about how LB's noise and touch issues will play out in a pre-school environment, I am focusing on creating fun times for us NOW at home. Or rather than worry if LB's GI issues will result in surgery, I am trying to just take each day as it is and be glad that he seems to be feeling better. I am not sure if it is his age or this renewed focus but I've been feeling like we are in a good groove these days. Perhaps it is a combination of both. I do realize this could all come crashing down on me at any moment, like when his two year molars start coming in. But I think we are prone to mark the tough times and it is just as important to recognize when things are going well and when progress has been made. Maybe I am just better at parenting a two year old than I was a one year old? I remember over the summer LB and I were having a particularly bad day but I really wanted to go buy him a water table, with the hopes it would provide for good outdoor entertainment. We were at the store and a sales woman approached me to see if I needed help. She asked how old LB was. When I told her he was 16 months she commented on what a cute and wonderful age that was. I had to hold back from punching her. I wanted to scream, "Are you kidding me! This age sucks. He can walk and get into everything but he can't communicate yet so he just throws fits!" Instead I just smiled at her because that's how I am. But I am glad that if someone said that to me today I could smile and not feel like a total fake.
On Mondays, we rarely have anything scheduled so I have been trying to make sure I have a fun sensory activity for us to do. Yesterday we played with shaving cream. LB did this at his most recent OT appointment and loved it. His therapist and I both thought he would need to be coaxed in to playing with it but he proved us wrong. He took one look at all the shaving cream on the table and dived right in with both hands. He kept asking for more. Then his OT added red and blue paint and he loved that too. I tried to create a similar scenario here at home but I did want to contain the mess as best I could. I strapped LB in his high chair and put the shaving cream all over the tray. Initially he only played with one hand but then on his own he started playing with both hands. I was glad I didn't have to encourage him to do that but he did it on his own. Sadly, I don't have any washable paint but after he tired of just the shaving cream I added some rice to the mixture to give it a different texture. That definitely helped prolong the activity. He asked me to play with him and I have to admit that it did feel funny to have all that squishy shaving cream on my hands. Maybe I need some sensory work too.
Please remind me of this post the next time I feel defeated, which could easily be tomorrow.
"People gather bundles of sticks to build bridges they never cross." Author Unknown
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I don't know how well it would mix (maybe it wouldn't at all), but if you don't have washable paint, maybe food coloring could be added to the shaving cream?
ReplyDeleteI also need to work harder at being in the present. I loved that quote above. 16 months was a hard age! As we get better at communicating, I'm definitely enjoying this age more. :)
ReplyDeleteShaving cream!!! Kaka loves it!! And the quote - so hard to remember but so important.
ReplyDelete