preschooler Archives - Adventure, baby!

preschooler

Adventures in Parenting: This is FOUR

October 15, 2015 / Family, Kids / 2 Comments

I’m going to say it—age four has been the most fun age my daughter has turned thus far. Sure, I think the same thing every year (I was convinced three was the best!), but for the first time, I kind of wish I could freeze her at this amazingly beautiful age. It’s okay to want to treasure the wonder of four just a little bit more, right? Here are six of the highlights of having a four-year-old in the house:

1. All drama, all the time
While some of the drama is a bit much (like those even bigger tantrums now that are thrown), most of it is pretty entertaining. Everything is a big event to a four-year-old—a new toy, a surprise visit from the grandparents or a birthday party. I mean, is there anything else in life that can create such excitement in a small child like the prospect of games, cake and presents?

2. Singing and dancing
I can’t believe that the power of Frozen has lasted so long. This kid has been a devoted Elsa fan for almost two years now, and has perfected her “Let It Go” routine, complete with hand movements and dramatic exit. Our home is filled with songs, sung in the sweetest high pitched voice with just a touch of a lisp, and our guests are treated to impromptu musical performances and dance routines.

3. Imaginary play
Often she pretends to be Elsa (and I’m Anna), but her imagination takes her far from Disney stories as she creates amazing worlds with her dolls. The conversations she has with her dolls replicate those she hears around her—never have I been more aware that everything I say is falling onto very receptive ears.

4. Conversations had
Suddenly, there are actual conversations being had. Hilarious ones, such as “Who’s the boss of the family?” and “Mommy’s the boss!” to questions I don’t quite know how to answer (“Why do people eat animals?” and “What does dead mean?”).

5. Lack of self consciousness
Is there anything cuter than a naked little bottom dashing around the house? I absolutely love that at age four she is still happy to be a “nudie bum” and perform little butt wiggling dances with reckless abandon. While, of course, I know that time is coming to an end, if nothing else, I wish I could preserve her self confidence the way it is right now—before she starts to worry about how she looks and her body shape.

6. Joie de vivre
The simple joy of being alive is really what a four-year-old is about. Every single thing my daughter experiences is cause for amazement—whether it’s collecting sticks from the sidewalk or watching a caterpillar inch its way along a tree branch. Every day, I think to myself, “Wow, we could all learn a lot from a four-year-old’s sense of fun.” She’s entertained for hours by a cardboard box—it becomes a plane, a home and a rocket ship. There’s nothing like a four-year-old to teach you that you that “less is often more.”

This article was first published on MommyNearest.

36 Ways Kids Make it Impossible to Leave the House On Time

October 14, 2015 / Family, Kids / 18 Comments

Having a preschooler is like living with a tornado in human form. A non-stop whirlwind of enthusiasm, defiance and, let’s be honest, complete and utter craziness, getting out the door with your preschooler can be the second toughest part of the day (let’s not talk about bedtime just yet!). Here are 36 of the thoughts that run through my head when I’m trying to leave the house with my four-year-old. (*All names have been changed to protect late running parties!)

1. Where’s the child?

2. Where are her shoes?

3. Did I really dress her in that outfit? Oh wait, no, she did that herself.

4. Is it really important that I brush her hair?

5. I’m sure just shoving it in a ponytail will be fine. Voila! Messy chic!

6. Where’s a wipe, there’s breakfast on her chin.

7. How did cereal get so crusty in such a short time?

8. How on Earth can she still be hungry?

9. Fine, have a yogurt pouch. What do I care if your teeth rot.

10. I do care if your teeth rot. Here’s your toothbrush, now brush your teeth.

11. Still no shoes—can you go pick a pair?

12. No, sandals are not appropriate when it’s looking like snow.

13. You want to change your outfit again? No you can’t wear the Elsa costume.

14. Fine you can wear the Elsa crown and take the Elsa doll with you instead.

15. What about Anna? Why does Anna always get left out?

16. Personally, Anna is my favorite.

17. Crap, where has the child gone again?

18. Why is it when I need to make a phone call or go to the bathroom she refuses to play by herself, and yet when it’s time to leave the house, I find her playing quietly in her room?

19. Argh. I’m going to have to clean up all these toys again.

20. Or am I? Surely four is old enough to put away her own toys?

21. I really need a coffee.

22. Where’s my bag?

23. No snacks in the bag—rookie mistake. Where are the rice crackers, Goldfish and popcorn packets?

24. And the water bottle—better refill it quickly.

25. Do I have enough spare clothes and a pack of baby wipes?

26. When can I stop carrying snacks, water bottles and baby wipes with me everywhere I go?

27. I feel like a sherpa.

28. Coffee’s cold. Ice coffee it is!

29. Phone, jackets, scarves, hats, shoes, scooter, helmet, check.

30. Where’s the child? Get out of my perfumes!

31. Go to the potty! I know you need to go!

32. Where are my keys?

33. The dog. Crap. Literally.

34. We’re late. So so so so late.

35. That’s alright, Sandra* will be later than us.

36. Ok, we can do this! Where’s that coffee?

This article was first published on MommyNearest

9 Things Made Difficult By A Preschooler

May 14, 2015 / Family, Kids / 12 Comments

You’d think that by the time your baby had grown into a preschooler, life would get a bit easier. Unfortunately, those annoying strangers who used to helpfully say, “Just wait, it gets harder!” as you were frantically trying to quiet your screaming newborn baby might have been on to something. Perhaps life has not exactly gotten harder, but it certainly has turned into quite the battle of wits. Here are just a few challenges life with a preschooler presents.

1. Being on time
Have you ever noticed that despite your best efforts, you are always at least five minutes behind schedule with a preschooler in tow, if not more? I sure am. Even when I pack the night before, wake up in plenty of time and frantically spend a morning shepherding, cajoling and begging a certain small person to move it along, things always creep at a snail’s pace. Even pressing the elevator button takes an eternity. Speaking of buttons…

2. Pushing your buttons
Not only do you have someone who likes to push every elevator and door button known to man, they also like to push your emotional buttons too. As if you needed to feel even guiltier about going to work or drinks with friends! “But Mommeeeeeeee please don’t goooooo!” Gah!

3. Ownership of possessions
At one time it was your iPad, you phone, your jewelry and your knick knacks. Not any more. Now you are sharing custody of all of your objects with a very possessive preschooler and need to sneak them away if you want to use them after bedtime for yourself.

4. Sleeping in
I think the last time I slept in was during my pregnancy. Mornings where I get to lounge around, read a book or make breakfast in bed are a thing of the past (unless I want some unbridled enthusiasm and Disney Junior’s Octonauts with that).

5. Lying
Okay, so I know, lying is bad, but sometimes a little white lie can help expedite things—as long as your preschooler doesn’t expose you. For example: at the movies, where kids under three get in for free. The ticket seller asks how old my daughter is and I say she is almost three (when she was just over three). My daughter pipes up, “No I’m not, I’m THREE!”

6. Flying under the radar
I’m a reserved person by nature and don’t like drawing attention to myself. Life with a preschooler, however, is about being in the spotlight. A supermarket run will involve fairy wings over the Elsa dress, plus a tiara and wand, with fluttering steps the entire way. Once we are there, if there is, God forbid, some kind of stage or chair resembling a podium, the entertainment part of our shopping trip will commence, usually with a rousing rendition of, you guessed it, Let It Go.

7. An adult evening with friends
Miss three-and-a-half is usually asleep by 7:30pm, so occasionally instead of organizing a sitter we invite friends over for dinner. However, after our last disaster, I don’t think we will be doing it again for a while. Our daughter flat out refused to go to sleep until well after 9pm, by which stage we were all exhausted and ready to call it a night.

8. A relaxing vacation
We travel a lot as a family and, while I love these experiences, I certainly wouldn’t call any of these a “vacation.” They are active adventures where we explore new places and are constantly on the go, searching for the next park, playground or pool. Not a good book or pool-side martini in sight.

9. Being bored
I used to get bored a fair bit and feel like I had chunks of time to fill (hello Netflix!), but life with a preschooler is entertaining, stimulating, exciting and basically one giant non-stop adventure.

First published on Mommynearest.

Linking up with Bron.

5 Lessons I’m Learning From My Preschooler

May 7, 2015 / Family, Kids / 15 Comments

I spend a lot of time teaching my preschooler the little things. The names of animals and flowers. The polite way to ask for something. I am her teacher in life as well as her caretaker. I realized the other day, however, that for all I am teaching my child, she is also teaching me a few things. It turns out that we have so much to learn from each other.

Be curious
My preschooler can literally spend an hour walking from our house to the supermarket three blocks away, engrossed by every single bug, flower, rock and crack in the pavement we encounter. “Why, Mommy?” is asked a thousand times a day. Why are the leaves falling off the trees? Why are the ants swarming? Why is there a puddle? Instead of rushing her to get our chores done, I’m trying to relax and go at her pace, and marvel in rediscovering what a weird and wonderful world we live in.

Make your own fun
I feel like I need constant stimulation and activities to have fun. Galleries, restaurants, movies. My preschooler loves to pick up sticks and pretend they are fairy wands. She can be entertained for hours with nothing more than a few bit of shrubbery and her imagination. When did we start to need so much “stuff” to just have fun?

Dancing like no one’s watching
My preschooler dances up and down the street. In shops and elevators. In restaurants and car parks. Whenever the mood strikes her, she busts a move and puts on her best arabesque for anyone who happens to be watching. She exudes so much joy in every move of her tiny body, and her lack of self consciousness is a delight to behold. Why should we care what people think of us (and our dancing!). We should be dancing in the streets if the mood takes, not caring if we’re a bit uncoordinated.

Sing like no-one’s listening
I used to love singing! Absolutely love it. Somewhere along the way though, it came to my attention that I was not as good a singer as I had thought, and I stopped singing out loud so as to not offend people with my off-key melodies. My daughter, however, doesn’t care if she’s hitting all the wrong notes when she belts out Wheels On The Bus. She doesn’t let what people think get in the way of doing what she loves. Can’t we all take a note out of her book and sing if it give us joy (even if we’re tone-deaf?).

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
Women are the worst at criticizing the way we look. We’re never just happy with what we’ve got, we have to compare ourselves to how we think we should look. Taller, thinner, fitter, better nose, smoother hair. We wave off compliments and joke about how much we need to hit the gym. Our children, however, think we are the most beautiful things they have ever seen. They don’t notice our flaws, they just see the person who loves them more than anything, who is there to kiss their boo boos and hug them when they wake in the night with bad dreams. Preschoolers see their moms as powerful, strong, and beautiful, so why can’t we see ourselves this way, too?

Rock your own style
As we get older and more aware of the expectations of work and society, we tend to tone down our personal style and wear plainer clothes. I can’t imagine my preschooler in anything that could be called “plain”. Right now she is favouring tutus, glittery socks, bright blue Mary Janes and tiaras – with an Elsa braid or old lady bun. She dresses exactly how she feels and has so much fun with her outfits. She’s reminding me of the enjoyment I used to get when I dressed for fun rather than for function, and helping me bring my inner style back to the outside again.

This article was first published on MommyNearest.