Earlier today, I wrote a quick “Help Me, Somebody HELP ME” post. Thirty minutes later I had successfully – unintentionally – on purpose – accidentally deleted the whole thing. It was a purely brilliant moronic moment.
Without going into the details of how it happened (I’ve heard a woman should always stay a little mysterious to keep ’em interested — wait, is that just with men?), here’s the “gist” of what I had written, with just a teeny-tiny bit of elaboration.
I have come to the realization that I am the Mommy of a TODDLER. No longer a baby, the Little Lady is quickly becoming an independent, energetic, willful, imaginative (and real) person. There’s a personality emerging and developing each day. It absolutely amazes me to see the changes that are occurring daily. She picks up at least 3-5 new words and phrases each week. She can now sing along to 5 of the songs on the “mommy-doesn’t-want-to-hear-anymore-screaming-in-the-car” CD. She even sings most of the Alphabet song. The Little Lady is only 14 months old and she can do all of this!!!!
And, she’s doing it all on her own. My brilliant child is getting little help from me. Yes, we play and sing and dance and read, but I’m not planning activities or playtime that is meant to encourage her cognitive, gross, & fine motor skills. I’m not doing anything deliberately to help my child learn about her world.
How sad is that?
I was an educator who loved to develop student-centered lesson plans and activities that touched on all styles of learning and Bloom’s taxonomy. I was the teacher that never wanted a wantonly inserted lesson for the sake of “filling up time.” I researched, conferenced with other teachers, and evaluated each lesson — I did everything possible to make sure my students were actively engaged in their learning process.
All of that and I don’t plan for the early education of my Little Lady?
I don’t want to be a Mommy that relies on TV, Internet, or video games to teach my child. I want to use my mommy-instincts, education, and skills to help my child develop into an active, inquisitive, and imaginative little girl. Please don’t misunderstand my sudden urgency; I don’t intend on being a hyper-driven parent who forces their 3 year old to learn 5 languages and play 6 instruments, all while kicking a soccer ball. No — that’s not me and it won’t be me. I just want to be more involved and intentional with our time during these formative years.
Which, brings me to the point of my previous post (you know — the one I stupidly deleted):
My list of mommy questions could go on and on. Ha, and I thought things would be a piece of cake once the colic and reflux stage was over! Who knew that the New-Mommy Syndrome continued past the 1st year? I certainly didn’t!
