Crayons, coloring books, thingamajigs, tea sets, stuffed animals, books, movies, music, instruments…remote controls (without batteries), hair bows, boxes, pans, spatulas… it is shocking at times, what I have to do to keep my 1 ½ year old entertained!
“Here Remi lets color.”
“No honey, don’t eat the crayon…”
“Look, mommy spent 30 minutes making you an activity box I saw on Pinterest”
“Oh, you’d rather play with the spatula I need right now to cook”
She wants up…
She wants down…
Now she’s upside down in my lap with her socked feet against my forehead…
“Let’s play some music…” My small human sits next to me for about five minutes and beats on a drum and a xylophone before darting across her room to grab her baby doll.
“Awww, look Remi. Love the baby.”
She pretends to feed the baby and wrap her up in her blankey…for about 10 minutes before her basket of hair bows (which I can’t get her to keep in her hair anymore) pulls her away.
“This bow is pink. This bow is purple. This one is big, this one is small…” That lasts three seconds.
“Woof woof…” I hear a little Remi voice now talking with the dogs.
“Look Remi, be nice to the puppy.” She leans down long enough to hug our dog for a second before taking off into the kitchen and shouting “that, that, that…”
I race behind her saying “what, what, what?”
Her little hand outstretched to the countertop where she sees the spatula I have out in my preparation to ….eventually…try and tackle dinner.
“Yes Remi, mommy uses that to cook your supper. Here have it. Mommy will find something else to use to cook your supper…”
And said spatula hits the dirty floor as her little feet somehow dart her back into the living room where she hides behind the chair.
Oh,…now we are playing hide and go seek.
I get down on my hands and knees and chase her around. Back and forth, over and under, up and down…
And wouldn’t you know it…the most physical, strenuous, and at times painful activity…lasts the longest.
We play, we giggle, we tickle and make amazing memories.
Then she runs back to her room and grabs a book.
I follow and sit on the floor as she runs over to me and sits on my lap.
We read about two pages worth before she loses interest again…
I look at the clock thinking I must be extremely late in getting dinner started, only to realize it’s been less than an hour.
I stress…what, how…I need to entertain this human for another three hours before bed!!!
But I do it. Just like you do it…and all the other amazing parents out there do it.
Being involved in your child’s life isn’t always easy. In fact, most of the time it’s hard and tiring…no exhausting.
I have had days where I just want sit…but sitting isn’t a reality any time before 8:00 p.m. in my household.
At times I pray she will just entertain herself for an hour or so…
But, I always find myself thinking of how special each of these exhausting moments really is.
Today is parental involvement day. And as I strive to every day…today I will chase, entertain, laugh, tickle, read to and do anything it takes to do whatever my little wants to do and be as involved in her life as I possibly while I can.
<3 Michaela
