I know I haven't posted anything in a while with any actual content. I don't really have anything to talk about. It's January, and traditionally this is the time of the year that I start to get the blues. After the Christmas season and the lead-up to it, January and February are VERY slow months. During which we get our finances back in order and try not to have any fun. Fun costs to much.
On a side note to that, my Auntie Bonnie will be in town next week, Her and my mom are off to the annual Kingfisher Spa weekend. Lucky buggers ;) I'm talking to Bonnie on MSN while I write this.
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So anyways, back on topic, sort of. Can you tell I haven't actually planned this post?
Sean called me yesterday from Vancouver. He sounds good, and is apparently pretty bored. When he asked me what I've been up to lately, I had the usual dilemma...Do I say nothing? Because socially I haven't done anything new since the last time I saw him. Or do I talk about the kids? Typically I avoid talking about parenting with you guys in general because besides the Rices, none of you have kids. You honestly have no idea what it's like to deal with a tantruming 2 year old in a store full of people. And you have better things to talk about then Liam's resistance to potty training and Tessa's molars coming in. (Like World of Warcraft).
But I gave in and told my woes to Sean, him being a captive audience and all. Sometimes I forget what a good listener he is, I came away from that conversation with a few new ideas to try. For the record, I'm trying to switch Liam's sleep schedule around so that he'll nap in the afternoon and wake up at 6:30-7am instead of 5:30-6am. Pretty boring stuff if it doesn't effect you, but a big deal in our house right now.
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Last night a more interesting parenting dilemma came up, that I will share in the hopes that someone has a suggestion...
First, a little background.
Children are by nature, sexual creatures. It has been proven that touching, hugging, kisses, and snuggles lead to a sense of security and a safer learning environment as there is a greater bond of child/parent empathy. That being said, it is a time of their lives when they are discovering everything they can about their bodies..."What? I see when my eyes are open, but not when they're closed?", "What? When I spin around really fast I fall over?", "What? When I go to the potty I get a reward?"...
The latest for Tessa is "What? When I sit on Liam's tractor with the smokestack here, It feels really neat!".
This is all normal, and Liam went through about a month of mild experimenting a while back. He then got bored and moved on to testing his 2 year old boundaries.
Dan and I (mostly Dan) used to take baths with the kids when they were really little. Before they could sit up themselves. The family bath stopped in both instances when the kid in question inevitably leaned over and grabbed a part of Dan's anatomy. From then on they were on their own, with supervision only.
Last night during bathtime Teresa found Liam's peepee.
Now I call it peepee because to me "penis" hints at adult uses. "Peepee" is what little boys have and that's what it's used for...peeing out of.
Dan and I had a little giggle as Teresa poked at it a bit, and then we stepped in and got her out of the tub. Liam had a stiffy (which are not unusual in two year olds, and definitely not with Liam).
Now, the dilemma is this...Do we lay down the law and discourage this line of experimenting?
We know that they probably have a two week attention span at this age.
Or do we explain what a boy and a girl is and let them play?
We know that Teresa doesn't actually understand half of what I say at the best of times, and neither of them has any idea what they are doing?
I mean that's the point, they don't know.
I bring this to you guys because it's something that I believe a lot of people would have opinions about. It's the sort of issue that changes depending on perspectives. I'm going to do what ever I choose to about it, but I'd love to hear what others would do, given the same situation.
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