Problem Solver

Yesterday, Samantha and I went to the dollar store.  There really wasn't much more of a purpose than to check it out to see if we could find some fun cheap stuff.  I ended up getting her an Easter basket with grass and plastic eggs, a magnifying glass, a "carrot brush" which looks like something she'll find a use for, a flimsy but useful extra stool (you really just can't have enough stools for your toddler), 2 mini spray bottles she can use to torture the cat, 3 washcloths for clean-up time, a key chain with one of those old-fashioned coin purses on it that is just an oval shaped piece of plastic with a slit in it, and a set of 384 alphabet stickers - all for $12.45.  Now that's fun!

Anyway, Sam has a little cold and has not been listening to me very well.  As soon as we got in the store, she started pulling things off the shelf and just generally acting out of control.  I tried to talk to her about it a couple of times, getting down on her level and explaining that if she didn't stay close to me I'd have to carry her through the store.  I also told her to ask me before she took anything off the shelf.  Usually, I let her pull things down because she'll put them back on her own (with encouragement), but there was just so much cheap stuff she couldn't resist!  She did not pay any attention to me and finally, I picked her up, telling her that I had to carry her if I was going to get any shopping done.  She threw a tantrum.  I might have left if she was not sick, or if it was a nicer type of store, but I decided to give her a chance to scream a bit to see what happened.  I didn't really have much of a plan, but I didn't want to give up on the trip quite yet.

I sat on the floor and just held her.  After a very short time, she started trying to say something.  I told her that I couldn't understand her because she was still crying too much.  She tried a couple more times and I finally got it:  MOMMY, HO-DEE HANDS.  HO-DEE HANDS, MOMMY!

She was suggesting that we hold hands instead of me carrying her!  I didn't even think of that, but she did, all on her own!  I told her that was an excellent idea and we stood up and she really did it.  We held hands, and I told her to just let me know if she wanted to stop and look at something, and it worked.  We had a great time for the rest of the shopping trip.

This is exactly the type of problem-solving Faber and Mazlish suggest that you encourage in your child.  I wish I could say that I've been doing so, but I thought Sam was too young to be that creative.  I thought I'd do that later, when she was older.  This is what I mean when I say that it is extremely difficult to keep up with your child, and way too easy to underestimate them. 

Yet another amazing, every-day parenting moment.