Lessons I've Learned from My Toddler

Toddlers. They are full of energy and mischief, but they can teach us a lot about ourselves. Here are a few of the lessons I've learned from my toddler.

>> Play! Playing is fun! Do as much of it as possible.

>> Exercise makes you happy and it makes you sleep better. When my son gets outside and runs around, he sleeps so well during his nap and at bedtime and he is happier in general. This tends to be true for me as well.

>> You can never have enough kisses or hugs, especially when you are having a bad day.

>> Children grow and learn at their own pace. Don't get discouraged when your child doesn't seem to be learning many words or isn't hitting his milestones when you think he should. Try not to compare him to his siblings. Every child is different. Just when you start to think that he may be falling behind, he will start to surprise you with the things he is learning. Just yesterday, my 16 month old son who was worrying me because he only seems to say three or four words on a regular basis said “down there” when I asked him where his cup was and said “bird” after he pointed to one and asked me “what's that?”

>> Answer your child's questions! One of the few words/phrases that my son does say is “what's that?”. He's been saying this since he was about a year old. I always answer him! After all, this is how he will learn new words. Even if he asks me several times about the same object, I will tell him.

>> Learn to love learning. I can tell that my son loves to learn new things. I am starting to find that same joy in learning new things. For example, I have recently become a stay-at-home mom and I am learning new recipes to give my family a little more variety at dinner time. I also plan on starting a garden this spring and that will be an entirely new experience for me.

Our kids can teach us so many things. What are some things you have learned from your toddler?