Where there are kids, there is boredom. When the baby is small, she occupies herself with eating and sleeping. That is not boring when you spend most of your time growing and developing your bones and brain. It is when the baby becomes a full blown kid and then the disease of boredom becomes a problem.
You first see signs of the illness at around age one and a half. The books and blocks are not quite as interesting as they used to be. Why not? There is a backyard and a dozen things that she is not allowed to play with. There are interesting sparkly things on shelves, and a variety of sensory stimuli in the kitchen. What are these spaces behind small doors with things to play with? More toys? These are DEFINITELY better than boring blocks and dolls.
You as the parent, knowing that parenting comes from the heart and that it requires keen observation and alertness, seeing that there is a toddler with an insatiable curiosity, cleverly buy awesome new toys. You think that these will stave off the effects of the awful disease of boredom. You think so because these toys are not anything you find at the mall large chain store, but carefully crafted wooden toys. I will grant you that the novelty of the toy will eventually wear off, but when the 2 year old toddler finds cool toys in the back of the cupboard with pots and pans there will be a giggle of delight. She will most likely leave them there so that she can play with them again in the back of the cupboard. Problem solved, so you think.
The FUN is back again! Unfortunately, now she will want to look in all the cupboards to find out of there are more toys in the back, especially after the novelty wears off. She will be climbing the counter tops and all sorts of bad things unless you explain and keep the toys out of the cupboard (at least after the original discovery). However, access to the cupboard might not be so bad a thing provided it is done safely (common sense applies, at least as far as parenting common sense). The disease of boredom, while not inherently fatal, is still affecting the toddler, but the treatment has taken hold. The toys in the cupboard, the climbing of the counters, etc have treated the disease, but are causing a new affliction in the parent: the frazzled stress-out. I am sure you have experienced it before, and now that you are a parent of a two year old, you will experience it again.
There is a never ending store of fun being a parent.
You first see signs of the illness at around age one and a half. The books and blocks are not quite as interesting as they used to be. Why not? There is a backyard and a dozen things that she is not allowed to play with. There are interesting sparkly things on shelves, and a variety of sensory stimuli in the kitchen. What are these spaces behind small doors with things to play with? More toys? These are DEFINITELY better than boring blocks and dolls.
You as the parent, knowing that parenting comes from the heart and that it requires keen observation and alertness, seeing that there is a toddler with an insatiable curiosity, cleverly buy awesome new toys. You think that these will stave off the effects of the awful disease of boredom. You think so because these toys are not anything you find at the mall large chain store, but carefully crafted wooden toys. I will grant you that the novelty of the toy will eventually wear off, but when the 2 year old toddler finds cool toys in the back of the cupboard with pots and pans there will be a giggle of delight. She will most likely leave them there so that she can play with them again in the back of the cupboard. Problem solved, so you think.
The FUN is back again! Unfortunately, now she will want to look in all the cupboards to find out of there are more toys in the back, especially after the novelty wears off. She will be climbing the counter tops and all sorts of bad things unless you explain and keep the toys out of the cupboard (at least after the original discovery). However, access to the cupboard might not be so bad a thing provided it is done safely (common sense applies, at least as far as parenting common sense). The disease of boredom, while not inherently fatal, is still affecting the toddler, but the treatment has taken hold. The toys in the cupboard, the climbing of the counters, etc have treated the disease, but are causing a new affliction in the parent: the frazzled stress-out. I am sure you have experienced it before, and now that you are a parent of a two year old, you will experience it again.
There is a never ending store of fun being a parent.