So you’re tired from work, from your day, from your life. You come home to your bouncing toddler and she wants to play while you just want to cuddle. She’s sick of her toys and you don’t feel like doing crafts, don’t feel like inventing a story– don’t really feel like thinking period. But she’s pleading for attention and you want to deliver.
What do you do?
Child Vision… ACTIVATE! Look at your house with the eyes of your child and you’ll find easy ways to make your time with her the most memorable part of your day.
Now let’s a take a look around the house shall we?
1. You see: a bag of your stuff
It's not just a bag...
She sees: forbidden treasure
It's a treasure chest!
Anything of yours is extremely interesting to your child. And if your stuff is off limits then take a second and remember the high of scoring alcohol using a fake ID. THAT’S how she feels when she accesses your forbidden stuff. So why not give her a free pass? My daughter is a make-up fan so she immediately seeks the kikay kit in my handbag (and her grandmothers). Other ideas: let her explore your gym bag, your laptop bag (sans laptop). When my daughter is tired of my handbag, she tries to sneak into her dad’s gym bag and likes to handle..hmmm… his kikay kit.
2. You see: toy containers
These are multi-functional...
She sees: go-karts
GO!!!!!!!
If she fits into anything, all you have to do is push. You will never see or hear such PURE JOY in your home. And for that you will summon up the energy to push and push..and push again.
3. You see: bath basin / bath tub
This is not just a bath basin...
She sees: swimming pool
Swimming is like taking a bath or taking a bath is like swimming:)
She loves the pool why not re-create it when she takes a bath? It took me 22 months to figure this out. My daughter is so much easier to bathe now that we added her favorite pail and a random funnel to the mix. She just loves pouring away and has even more fun with no bathing suit in the way. Now she whines when the bath is ending rather than the beginning.
4. You see: parenting magazine
Smart Parenting is not just for parents...
She sees: kiddie catalog
Smart Parenting is for kids too!
Fortunately, magazines are laid out so nicely that they’re attractive to children as well. Case in point: the August 2010 issue of Smart Parenting. Let her leaf through the magazines and you can talk about what you see. In our case, she pointed out everything she recognized and even associated them with her friends. All I had to do was seriously pay attention and interpret her toddler accented English. (“I” sounds like “E”, can’t say “O” unless it’s “No” that kind of thing)
5. You see: curtain
Curtains aren't just for blocking out the light
She sees: peek a boo
They're for tiring out your kids!.. and laughing and surprising and watching the news.
This is especially useful when you’re aching to lie down and take a breather. I also find that pretending I can’t see her works as well. Plus, it’s the easiest way to catch the news on TV. When she uses the curtain for the peek a boo action, I super exaggerate my surprised reaction so she’s goaded to peek a boo more and is doubly surprised, doubly giddy and doubly tired.
Ok you got me. Activating child vision is tiring –more for you than your child. That’s what happens when you allow yourself to see your home as a playground. Endless possibilities! So you’re more tired and try to come up with ways to get your child to go to bed earlier. Hey if you played hard, you definitely bonded harder. If you ask me falling asleep with your child is one of the great last acts to your day.
What have you discovered with your child vision?
