Things My Two-Year-Old Has Taught Me
What Kalena teaches us
The one thing about having kids is, it sure does put your life into perspective. Just when things are getting us down, she puts a little spark in our day. Here’s what I’ve learned this week:
On Exercise: Who needs a gym when you’ve got a mattress? Jumping up and down on the bed is sure to burn calories. Just don’t fall off the bed- that’s sure to cause five minutes of tears.
On Eating: Eating food is more fun if you make as big of a mess as possible. Swing your spoon around, eat with your hands, and hold the plate up to your face to lick all the remains off. This is especially fun if you have someone around to clean up the whole mess.
On Keeping It Clean: Bath time is the most fun time of all. Take a few toys into the bath with you and play. If you sit there long enough, all the grime just falls off. Much more enjoyable than the usual lather, rinse and repeat.
On Getting What You Want: It’s amazing how far a simple “please oh please” will get you. No one wants to say “no” to you when you are so damn precious. Just remember to say “thank you much” once you’ve gotten what you want. Whining, however, will get you nowhere.
On Being Broke: Who needs to toil away at a job they hate? If you’re cute enough, all of your needs will be met. Shoot, you can even get someone to dress you and wipe your bottom if you’re really adorable.
On Being Creative: What is mundane to some is an adventure for others. Sit on the kitchen floor and pull out all of the contents in the cupboards. Pretend that empty Tupperware is full of soup. Slurp away. Bang those pots and pans and make some music. And never worry about the end result- being artistic is all about allowing yourself the freedom to put something on paper without adhering to someone else’s rules.
On Repetition: If a song was good once, it’ll probably be great 8 more times! It’s the old adage, “if one is good, more must be better!” So don’t deny yourself that second piece of chocolate.. or the third.. or the fourth. (Just be sure to jump on the bed later.)
On Sleeping: Sure, you don’t want to miss out on anything, but if you have a nighttime ritual it makes it so much easier to fall asleep. Reading a story with your favorite person before you fall asleep is not only a bonding moment, it’s educational too. I refer to this as “brain food for the soul.”
On Expressing Yourself: Sometimes the quickest way of getting over things is to just give in and throw a tantrum. I mean, really cry. Throw yourself on the ground. Kick and scream. Why bottle up all those feelings? The trick is, get it out, get it all out–don’t hold back! In 30 seconds you’ll be over it and life will go back to normal.
On Communicating: When conversing with your toys or parents, use your own language that only you can understand. Laugh at the puzzled expressions on the big people’s faces as they try to figure out what the heck it is you are talking about. And whenever possible, talk as loud as you can. Your vocal chords are just itching to be used to their fullest potential.
On Being Compassionate: Hug your loved ones (and stuffed animals) as much as possible. Cuddle together on the couch. Give kisses freely. And always end your day with an “I love you.”
So, as I sit and think, “I hate my job,” “that co-worker is really a jerk,” “I want to kill my boss,” I look at my daughter and say to myself, “what would she do?” I mean, she may not be potty trained, but sometimes she seems to have it all figured out.
Awesome.
It’s amazing the things just watching kids and being in their presence teaches us. I learn alot from my 2 year old niece. She’s fearless and it inspires me.
I know your daughter is a bit older now, but I thought it was cool that you included a picture of her in this article because I wanted to see what she looked like after you mentioned in another one of your posts that she looks nothing like you or your husband with blonde hair and blue eyes. Cute!