I've been reading some parenting books lately. This was brought on by the arrival of my almost 2 year old's tantrums. While I did not get a much needed cure for his overly dramatic reactions to EVERYTHING, I did read a lot about scheduling. The boys and I currently have a loose schedule. It is truly difficult to have a strict schedule when caring for both boys, and honestly I never want to be someone who lives by the minute anyway. I have been reading about the importance of scheduling "structured play time." This is when you decide an activity, and your child does it for an allotted amount of time. Apparently this helps broaden your child's attention span, helps him sit still, etc. etc.
I have tried this many times before. It does not work, and I feel silly telling him to go "sit down and play!" So we don't do it anymore. I am wondering if kids Anthony's age actually do this! All Ant wants to do is run around and tear the house apart! Don't get me wrong, he will play with specific toys for maybe 15 minutes or so at a time, but not because of me at all! So, I've decided to drop it.
Plus, he is learning structure in his own way. He throws away dirty diapers, has a little morning routine, and helps me clean the kitchen. Today I taught him to put the silverware in the drawer and he loved doing it! Who cares if the drawer looks like this?:
I think it's great that he is learning to love helping me! :)
So my lesson learned is this: Parenting books do not have all the answers. They may not have any. And although my kid won't sit in a chair and play with play-dough, he is still learning how to be a good kid :)
I have tried this many times before. It does not work, and I feel silly telling him to go "sit down and play!" So we don't do it anymore. I am wondering if kids Anthony's age actually do this! All Ant wants to do is run around and tear the house apart! Don't get me wrong, he will play with specific toys for maybe 15 minutes or so at a time, but not because of me at all! So, I've decided to drop it.
Plus, he is learning structure in his own way. He throws away dirty diapers, has a little morning routine, and helps me clean the kitchen. Today I taught him to put the silverware in the drawer and he loved doing it! Who cares if the drawer looks like this?:
So my lesson learned is this: Parenting books do not have all the answers. They may not have any. And although my kid won't sit in a chair and play with play-dough, he is still learning how to be a good kid :)
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