Our electronically savvy 18.5 month old
Posted on October 1, 2007 - Filed Under The Daily Doodle, Parenting
For some time now, we have noticed an interesting phenomenon displayed in the behavior of our little Nugget. When we are carrying her and heading toward the living room, especially the couch, she begins to cry. It’s all over if we try to sit down. This happens unless we emphatically tell her we are going to read to her or play with some of her toys. Strange as it is, I think I have it figured out. She learned a long time ago that Mama and Daddy are not nearly as much fun to be around when they are watching TV, mostly because we are paying more attention to the box than to her. God forbid the little love-sponge not be the focal point in the room.
So, we usually deal with it by, like I said, telling her we are going to interact with her and not watch TV or, if there’s something we really want to watch, finding something to occupy her and then turning on the TV. Until now, that is: About a week ago, she figured out how to turn off the TV. Erin really felt the pain of this last week during the season premiere of Grey’s Anatomy. I am finding I don’t have much time for TV, so it hasn’t really bothered me yet; once another season of 24 comes around (in January, I think), that child will be nowhere in sight.
As mundane as this might sound, it worries me a bit (imagine that). I am concerned over her needing us to attend to her constantly. It’s the single reason I would think about having a second child, i.e. I don’t want her to grow up thinking the Earth exists for her pleasure alone. She can and does go off and do her own thing but we don’t let her out of our sight for too long as she is now becoming quite the skilled climber and more daring with each passing day. So, as with all things parental, we are striving to find balance.
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4 Responses to “Our electronically savvy 18.5 month old”
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Maybe you ought to think about tivo or a digital recorder. The only tv we watch is after kids are in bed everything is recorded and bonus no commercials or interuptions from the little people.I would do so prior to 24. Greys is on here at 9:00 what time does magpie go down theese days?
Jill–
Erin just got rid of our DVR…trying to cut costs.
All the shows are on an hour earlier than they are back East.
Maggie is headed for bed at 8:30 usually. She really doesn’t like to sleep, so it’s a fight that doesn’t end until about 9 or so.
Maggie sounds a lot like Cam when he was her age. He had (and still has) big time separation issues, but we’re to blame I think. If he wasn’t attached to Amy’s hip, he was on mine. Any time we went anywhere and had to drop him off at a temporary child watch area (ie. the gym, church, etc.), he would throw a fit and cry his eyes out. Amy and I would go nuts and feel like we were “abandoning” him, so we’d always get him. This was with everything too… he slept with us almost every night until he was about three. We’d always put him in his bed, but it would kill me to hear him cry. Especially when he started putting sentences together and saying things like, “Daddy, I just need a hug…”. Anyways, I think you get the point.
Reagan has been different b/c we’ve learned from Cam. She’s much more independent and prefers to do things herself a lot. We toughened up and didn’t give in to her with the crying and stuff. There are pros and cons with this. Cameron is the most loving, affectionate child. He always has been and I love that about him. Nothing will lift up my day like a 30-second bear hug from a five year old. On the other hand, Reagan is the complete opposite. Though she knows I go crazy for her kisses, I’m lucky if I get one once a week. She doesn’t like to snug or really care too much about affection at all. But again, she is tough and isn’t a “needy” child and is very independent and a good problem solver.
Of course all this could be a coincidence. Who’s to say they wouldn’t have ended up this way anyways (another reason child psychology is so interesting to me)? I don’t mean to talk about my kids so much, but your post has got me thinking about it all. Your reason for having a second child is one of the reasons we wanted one too. I think I had it nice, being a twin and everything. My mom always said dealing with me and my brother was easier than dealing with my little sister when she came along. Anyways, Maggie is getting so big. That video of her ya’ll posted is adorable. I hope all is well your way. Take care for now.
Jake
Jake–
First, don’t ever feel bad for talking about Cam and Reagan. You should already know this but in case you forgot, you all comprise one of the many reasons we REALLY miss A’ville, so you talking about the kids is a welcome reminder of things past.
Secondly, I don’t know how similar Cam and Maggie are. The reason I say that is Maggie has this thing about sometimes being really independent and sometimes being too much the other way. For example, when we drop her off at school, she is all too ready to jump into the day with her friends. Likewise, at the end of the day, she will sometimes cry when Erin goes inside the schoolhouse to pick her up. But, on the other side, she will not leave us alone, making it hard to get anything done. It’s weird; hopefully it means she will be a balanced adult someday and not that she has early-onset multiple personality disorder.
Thanks by the way for the long, well thought out comment. I miss the deep conversations we would get paid to have at work…oh, for the old days.