Around my toddlers, I find that I have to bite my tongue, a lot.
I bite my tongue when my toddler builds a tower which is off-kilter and will inevitably fall.
I bite my tongue when the wonderful lego table is permanently displaying a collection of toy cars instead of lego creations. Continue reading
I am not a big fan of the iPad for BabyBoy and BabyGirl (although I fully intend to make use of it on plane journeys – anything is better than screaming kids in a sardine tin in the sky). It tends to make both of them, particularly BabyGirl, hyper and they start displaying addictive behavior.
My mother-in-law, on the other hand, sees nothing wrong in that flashing screen.
There’s no way around it, if you have a 2 year old, at some point you are going to be on the receiving end of a tantrum. It sucks, but if you are setting boundaries, at some point those boundaries will be tested in a way that is both noisy and uncomfortable.
The middle of a tantrum is not the time to engage in conversation. Nor is it is the time to attempt to distract. (I speak from experience.) No, it is the time to repeat the rule, at intervals, but otherwise just be there. Continue reading
Wondering around toy stores nowadays, especially when looking at the 0-3 years age bracket, you’d be forgiven for thinking that there are two types of people in this world: pirates and princesses.
There’s a lot written about ‘princess culture’. But something that strikes me is….why the emphasis on pirates?
For the past few months we have been seriously thinking about having a third child. No decisions made yet, and there are some rational reasons not to have number three, but despite those reasons I have been thinking fondly about being pregnant again and having another baby, probably my last baby.
Then, the 2 year sleep regression hit.
Adding to the list of ‘stupid things adults have said to my kids recently’ is the line of questioning a dear friend subjected my daughter to.
‘ BabyGirl, do you have a boyfriend?’
‘BabyGirl, do you want a boyfriend?’
‘BabyGirl, are there any nice boys in your playgroup?’
Sometimes, other adults seem to have no idea how to treat children.
Recently, we met up with some friends. Some of whom have their own children. And my mother-in-law.
I was appalled at how some of the adults felt that it was the job of my children to entertain them.
Today afterninemonths hosts a guest post from Multiple Mama with ‘A Day in the Life of a Expat Twin Mum in Hong Kong’.
It’s 6.30am and squeals of laughter are coming through the baby monitor that’s on the nightstand. Not that the monitor is totally necessary given the lack of sound insulation in Hong Kong apartments. Multiple Mama’s boy/girl twins are awake and playing peekaboo with each other through the bars of their cots. Another day in the life of a multiple mummy in Hong Kong begins. Continue reading
As the shops get crowded and we begin stressing about whether we have enough food in for Christmas dinner, it’s reassuring to look at our toddlers and think that, to them, this is all extra.
A toddler doesn’t mind if the cranberry sauce has gone missing or you forgot to flambé the Christmas pudding.
So recently I reached out to a friend for support. BabyBoy and BabyGirl had been all over the place for days, and I needed some reassurance that this was normal toddler behavior (which I know it is, but it’s nice to hear it from someone else, and I was hoping for some other ideas on how to cope).
When you’ve had to abandon an outing because your kids are having a meltdown, the absolute last thing you need is a message saying, ‘Sorry, my kid is totally amazing and never freaks out ever’. (Ok I’m paraphrasing, but only a bit). Continue reading
afterninemonths 