Selling Her Short

Callie is well entrenched in the terrible twos. And let me tell you, that name barely gives it justice. It is exhausting! She is constantly pushing the boundaries; finding exactly where the line is. Her level of communication is expanding rapidly, but it still fails her. Which leads to normal, yet exasperating behaviors like biting and pushing. I have to constantly remind myself that she is not becoming a monster. She is not deranged. She is not a bully. She is just 2. And I can't wait until it is over! Sometimes I feel like all I do is yell "No!" or "Stop Callie!" or "Not Safe!" One of the struggles we have had over the last couple of months is that I have had to try to make her more responsive to verbal commands and instructions. Callie has always been very physically minded, but now that more often than not, I have Lucia in my arms I can't necessarily stop and put my hand on Callie's shoulder to stop her from doing something dangerous. Which has led to a lot of loud voices. But it seems to be working, most of the time:) Some days a bulldozer wouldn't stop this girl.

 And then there are moments when she surprises me so completely I think I will pass out. Like on Wednesday. I took her to story time at the Rosegarden Library thinking it could be a total disaster, but wanted to give her some more academic stimulation since we are most likely passing on preschool this fall (more on that later). I hadn't taken her to a library storytime since she had gotten mobile; she just wouldn't sit still or listen to the story. And she went and astounded me. She had an amazing time. It helped that the theme of the books and songs were rabbits. She was so happy. She even sat down most of the time.

 Except when those pesky rabbits showed up on the felt board. I could see her trying so hard to contain herself and not grab them off the board! She had so much fun participating in the songs and dances with her friend S. Thank goodness S was there! Callie loves her completely and I could tell her "Callie, sit down next to S." when she was getting too excited or antsy. Which was a saving grace since Lucia wanted to be held and bounced.  Callie looked so grown up following along and I was so proud of her I was positively electric. And in that moment I realized that I had been selling her short. She can participate in circle time. She could handle preschool if she/we wanted to. I had been really trying to be respectful of who she is and what she can do. And I was going much too far in the other direction. So are we going to put her in preschool this fall? Probably not. But I'm glad that the reason isn't because she wouldn't be able to handle the structure. We will have plenty of time for school. But she will only be my little girl for so long. In the meantime I am going to try to find ways to stimulate her mind not just her active body! We are starting a My Toddler Time class this weekend and I hopeful that it will present some good stimulation for all of us! Storytime was a great reminder to keep trying new things with toddlers. They are always changing and ready for new challenges! Good job Callie! I will try to keep up:)