One day recently, I found myself with a long To Do List and a little boy who wanted to be by my side all day. As previously posted, I often have him help me with chores so I went through my list and decided he could help me make individual salads for lunches to take to work. Here's how it went.
I gave him bowls to lay out on the floor and big bowl of lettuce.
I showed him once how to pick some up and where to put it. He got to work.
Once he was settled, I was able to step away and get some other things done in the kitchen.
Then, I refilled the bowl when it was empty.
Next, some shredded cheese.
Finally, the croutons.
Quality control.
And there was minimal mess.
He helped me close the lids and and stack the containers to go in the fridge and then was off to something else. I find that when O is especially clingy, he's either not feeling well or just misses me. If we do a job together he feels comforted by the time we spent but also accomplished and confident and ready to tackle something on his own.
As I've said before, toddlers want to be you, they want to do the things you do and use the things you use. Figuring out ways to let them help can make a world of difference in their mood and behavior but also their confidence, sense of pride, and independence.
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