Before I start yelling and stomping over to her, I quickly realize that I can't be mad because it's all my fault for being too directive and patronizing in my tone that afternoon, especially to a toddler who is now having to share mommy and daddy's attention because of her baby brother.
With the free time I had to spare while baby was sleeping, I chose to organize the closet, clean the bathrooms, and when I was done I got on the computer. Now that I look back, the whole time my daughter tried to get involved because she was interested in what I was doing, and there I was shooing her away! Bad mommy, bad mommy!
Once I realized that she was intelligently trying to get my attention, I quickly switched my demeanor but still stomped towards under the table and yelled with a smirk, "I'm gonna get you!". I got down to her level, gave her a points card to keep, smushed up my face towards hers, and received the nose to nose kiss from a now happy little girl who got what she wanted; mommy's undivided attention.
My wallet was saved and so was the moment as I remembered the fundamentals of parenting:
- Get down to her level
- Interact in a fun way, see what happens when I follow her lead
- Let the interactions be equal by letting her be heard
- Our interactions don't always have to be directive, she can be included even if it's for a few minutes
No comments:
Post a Comment
What do you think?