"Don't see me!"....this is what my little boy tells me a few times a day. Sometimes it is because he is drawing on the wall, other times it is because he wants to hide and eat fruit snacks. Usually, it is because he has to have a bowel movement. He just turned three and we have attempted potty training a time or two before, but resorted to waiting a few more months because we were hitting roadblocks. We would get him to use the potty daily, willingly, although not every time he needed to go. We would have him run around without a diaper (pretty normal for him), watch his siblings, bribe him with M&Ms and cookies (yes my kids eat some sweets), but with a few steps forward, we would move a few more back. We realized he is simply not ready. Yes he can stay dry for a few hours,
I confess. I spy on my kids. Daycare drop off - I waited around the bend of the hallway listening to my kid scream in dismay and thrash about. First day of Kindergarten - I peeked through the glass window, lingering quietly, just to see her sitting obediently in her chair at the "blue table". While my kids are fiddling about playing in their fairy garden, you can sometimes find me hiding somewhere - listening to their innocent conversations as it is heartwarming and I know that they are safe. My curiosity takes over. The first time I let my oldest cry
I know this number because I’m a pediatrician AND because I’ve called it twice (in 7 years, after 4 kids…once every 2 kids is not so bad). So, yes even your neighborhood pediatrician can get into a dangerous situation with their own kids. I am very careful. I buy the safety gadgets. I lecture my older kids and my patients about choking hazards more than they would like to hear. I lock up my dishwasher detergent pods (more on those later). But it is inevitable
We all know that sleep is vital to our health. Moms know this. Dads know this. Grandparents know this. Somehow, our kids never got the message. Instead they think being healthy involves 35 cups of water (with ice) 10 sprays of monster spray, 20 snacks, 15 potty breaks and lots of feisty crying and begging. After all that, they need cuddles over and over and over again. While I love snuggling my children, you have to agree that the thought of a warm cup of coffee, a blanket and some tv that is not Caillou lingers in the back of my mind. The problem is, by the time I ping pong from room to room and they are all asleep, I am too fatigued to make that cup of coffee, or do anything more than getting in my PJs, maybe read a journal, and crawl into bed. A school-aged child needs