Ok, I know all parents think their child is a genius, but Ana is smart. Like almost scary smart. Maybe it has something to do with all that brain-developing DHA she’s been eating. When I look at her I can practically see the wheels of her mind working overtime.
She is at that great stage when children start figuring out cause and effect. And boy does she! She knows how to turn the TV on and off, change the stations on my clock radio, start the dishwasher, and the list goes on and on. Hardly a day goes by when she doesn’t figure out how something else works. In fact, she is already challenging all my baby-proofing efforts!
I know it is only her limited 30-something word vocabulary that is keeping her from correcting me on things: “Mama, it’s not pink, it’s magenta.” I can see that Simeon and I are going to have our work cut out for us when she is a teenager.
For example, the other day Ana was playing upstairs when I noticed her take a detour into the guest bathroom. Knowing exactly what she was planning to do, I raced in (beating her by only a second–man, is she quick these days!) and grabbed up the animal’s water bowl before she could splash around in it. Admitting defeat, she walked out of the bathroom and wandered towards my room. I sat down feeling quite proud of myself for preventing the lovely mess that would ensue when Ana sloshed around in the bowl, inevitably dousing herself with water. About a minute went by before I jumped up and ran through my room, into the master bathroom, where I found Ana contently splashing around in the water bowl in there (we keep water bowls for all the animals in each bathroom). She looked up at me with such a proud look on her face. Knowing I would take away the first bowl, she got resourceful and found an alternate bowl to play in. I admit, she beat me on this one. Score: Ana-1, Mama-0.
Now I just have to hope she only uses her powers for good…
I am so scared. But also wonderfully excited to watch her conquer the world with all the resources we can provide her.
If we can keep her from becoming a super villain, she might actually change the world for good 🙂
Two smart parents made one smart kid! I’m not surprised at all.
🙂
Hee hee hee. Welcome to toddlerhood. They learn things so quickly from here on out, and as you know, are smarter than so many people think, even in terms of understanding right from wrong, and consequences. So now you get to enter the wonderful part of motherhood where you get to play the bad guy, and let her know from the start that this and that are NOT ok to touch, etc, and put the responsibility on her. You can not worry so much about the babyproofing if you spend this time watching her and strongly correcting her when she tries to get herself into unsafe situations and all that. It’ll be so much easier on you and she, especially so that when you go to peoples’ houses that aren’t babyproofed, you don’t have to worry about her injuring herself or anyone else’s stuff! 😉 It’ll also let you relax more at home, since, as you saw, removing the object (the water bowl) didn’t deter her. She just went looking for it somewhere else. If you make it very clear from here on out that the bowl is only for the doggies and she is not allowed to touch, you won’t have as much to clean up, and the dogs can still have unlimited access to their water. It’s not a particularly fun process, but let me tell you, it’s worth it. I watch parents come to peoples’ houses and chase their kids around, removing objects from their path, rather than putting their foot down and telling their kid that they are not allowed to touch, etc.
Sorry, I’ll stop ranting now, I just started thinking about the parents in my moms club who let their kids run their daily lives and it’s so frustrating. But I know you’re smarter than that, so I’ll shut it. 😉
Can’t wait to see you girls again. You need to come for a visit!
I’d say all in all our baby proofing is pretty minimal. We covered the outlets in high traffic areas, we only put locks on the cupboards that have poison, and we have a lid lock on one of the toilets.
Of all those I would say the toilet lock is the least functional, but at least nothing has been flushed down the toilet yet. Didn’t lindsay flush several items?
Like Simeon said, we only did a bare-bones baby-proofing because we realize the world isn’t baby-proof. Rather than baby-proofing as a substitution for parenting, we simply covered all the basis that would result in possible fatal injury. To me, the water bowl is a tough one. I know, as does Ana, that she isn’t suppose to play in it, however being a toddler who is testing her boundaries while learning about the world around her, the allure of the water is over-powering. The only reason I take it away, rather than just tell her no, is not my fear that she will make a mess or get water on her clothes. My fear is that she would slip in the water, or even put her face directly into the water, and ultimately drown. So while I understand, and appreciate, teaching her what she isn’t suppose to touch, until she fully understands, I will continue to put the water bowl up when she tries to play in it.
Anyway, the point of the story was that Ana is a sneaky, resourceful little thing. ‘Nough said.
Of course she is. She’s one! 😉