Teaching
I Climb, Therefore I am!
Whenever things get quiet in Maddie’s household, that’s when Daddy knows it’s time to spring into action. The deafening sound of silence washed over me from the living room and I darted down the hall into the master bedroom.
I was sharply put out to find Maddie up on our bed which is much higher than most.
“Gina, Did you leave the baby up on the bed?” I growled towards the bathroom.
Before my wife could answer, Maddie started jumping up and down on the bed proclaiming, “I CLIMB, I CLIMB, I CLIMB!”
Two words that struck me like a sharply hit line drive in the forehead – 22-months-old and the monkey is already scaling the bed?
Sure enough, I helped her down and she repeated the reckless action, this time under my supervision. Maddie propped her tiny feet on the base of the box spring and launched herself commando style up onto the bed, clawing and scratching wildly to avoid falling backwards into the abyss.
Once the terrorist conquered the bed before my own eyes, she broke out into wild celebrations with uncontrollable jumping on the bed.
We often read a book to Maddie called, “No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed.” Clearly, we are not getting through to her.
Maddie Takes Cup Drinking to New Heights
Maddie is not a cup is half full kind of girl. She does everything with gusto and drinking from a cup without a lid is no exception.
The key is to put very little liquid in any cup. But once Maddie has wrested control of any container, all bets are off.
No matter how liquid is in the cup, she starts with a gentle tilt and then goes fully vertical. It doesn’t matter if she’s getting the last drop or water-boarding herself, the cup must be purged of all its contents.
I went out and got 4 little plastic Thomas the Train cups that are about 4 ounces each. While we eat lunch, I transfer scant amounts of liquid into her cup for our drinking practice sessions.
There are plenty of ups and downs, but for now we are using the drinking game as a learning tool. I have no doubt that Maddie is already an accomplished and proficient drinker, but she’s also determined that I will have to work for it before she is ready to share her new found skill with me.
Stay Home PaPa 