pull down to refresh
1010 sats \ 16 replies \ @Undisciplined 26 Jan \ on: Share your superhuman parenting stories! meta
I had a very human evening today, getting mad at my 4 yo for being a total pill about taking her bath.
Enunciation has been a bit of a struggle for our daughter, but I seem to have somewhat superhuman ear, because I'm often telling people what she's trying to say.
Deciphering toddler talk is one of the few areas I outshine my wife in terms of parenting so it's a skill that holds a special place in my heart.
reply
What topics does your toddler talk about? xP
reply
I don't have a toddler any longer. My daughter is 5 now and she talks constantly and is very easy to understand. In other words she makes her thoughts known.
We have been lucky. She was an early talker and she is already reading a bit. She is very creative. She has created this imaginary world called chick (as in baby chickens) city and the chicks names are their colours (red chick, blue chick, gold chick etc) and she tells me stories about what these chicks are doing- things like having birthday parties or going to work. It's very interesting to see her imagination at work and how she uses information she has taken in from the real world and integrates it into her imaginary world. For instance, on the way home from her first Tball game she just randomly said "you know, the chicks love to play baseball every day." and I replied "really, who is the best player?" and she said "gold chick, he always hits a homerun".
My son was not like this. He was always super smart and analytical. He used to get frustrated if his toys weren't lined up perfectly or ordered by size etc. So it has been really cool to see both of them growing and interacting with the world differently.
reply
Our daughters sound very similar. Her speech has come a long way over the past year and now we can follow along with the stories she's been making up.
She also has some similarity to your son, in being very particular about things being arranged properly. When they do art projects at school, she seems to make patterns more than the other kids.
Tball!!! How's that going?
reply
Interesting. My son just draws all over the place haha
Do you think your daughter is conscious that she’s making patterns? Or is it her subconscious that you think guides her movement - as in she can’t quite explain why she draws patterns?
reply
It's at least somewhat conscious. If she messes it up, she'll go back and fix it. I don't know if she sets out to make something in particular, though.
reply
Sounds like she is a conscientious young lady!
reply
Thanks, I'm not sure if that's accurate, but I see why you got that impression.
Well, it is winter now so we are a few months away from Tball starting up again but she has a foam bat and ball and we practice her swing a couple times a week indoors. Of course then she wants me to bat so she can pitch and invariably she just hits me with the ball and laughs. Sometimes the dog runs through and steals the ball. It's a lot of fun. I am a fortunate man. There was a time I was working 70 hours a week pretty consistently and didn't get to spend a lot of time watching the kids grow. So I am relishing it now.
reply
That sounds great.
We haven't decided what sports or activities to do this summer. She likes dance class and a lot of those kids do gymnastics, so we're thinking about giving that a try. I think she might still be a bit too independent for team sports.
reply
My daughter loves her dance class. She has her first showcase in a couple weeks. She tried gymnastics and liked it but she wasn't very confident with hanging off things and walking across beams etc, so we didn't continue. Thought we would try dance for awhile and maybe gymnastics again when she got a bit bigger. When she turns six I am going to put her in taekwondo. They have a class for 4 and 5 year olds but it is two hours before my sons class whereas the 6 plus class white belt to green belt class if right before my sons class so it will be a lot easier logistically.
reply
I think we need to wait another year for martial arts, but that's one that we're definitely doing. I don't know which discipline we'll choose, not that it matters much at that age.
It was really cool to read this too! I hope you share more of your parenting journey.
Children do have lovely imagination unmatched by adults, huh
reply
My wife is the one who understands our children better, especially since they speak her mother tongue. It must be nice to have this special bond with your princess!
reply
It is. I don't think she's that hard to understand, though, which leads me to get annoyed with other people on her behalf for not really trying.
reply
At some point, we all become our children’s advocate
reply