Another Perspective

I'm no great photographer, but every so often I catch an interesting pose and it gets me thinking. In this one, I caught Norah in a quiet moment last Saturday morning. Was she pondering the huge pile of leaves in the backyard, or the possibility of a trip to the playground? Maybe she was mulling over how it felt to share her toys at the neighbourhood party the night before or considering whether or not to behave that day. Regardless, I think it's a really neat picture, and one I think goes nicely with a post I've been mulling over for a while. It must be really tough, being a toddler - Norah is growing up so fast, and sometimes seems so sophisticated, it's easy to forget that she's not yet 3 and still lacks some of the facilities to process the world around her in the way we do. Perceived injustices are met with frustration, just as they are for us. The big difference, of course, is in the perception. In a world where the limited things she knows are all changing, is it any wonder that she'd be frustrated (and thus difficult to deal with)?

It's this perspective (as well as a marked improvement in her behavior lately!) that has led me to fully understand the importance of consistency for toddlers - when Norah knows what to expect, either because it's part of our routine or because I've prepped her ahead of time, we're all in much better shape. I literally just described an example to Matt, who is sitting next to me as I write this. Driving home from school today Norah volunteered "When we get home, I am going to take off my coat and shoes, and then go potty" - and she did! Likewise, if I tell her we are going to go to the playground after we do something else, like say nap, then the preceding activity will always go smoother with something to look forward to.

I was also struck recently by how similar Norah's hand and Roddie's hand felt in mine - really more similar than you might think - reminding me that in many ways she is really still a baby, despite her claims to the contrary, and it's up to us to ensure a happy and safe and predicable environment for her, as best we can.