Fetch
Some children had siblings around the house while they were growing up. Other children had large cadres of friends. I had a dog. It would have been nice to practice my child-interaction skills more when I was younger; that way I might have a better clue as to what Abbie wants when she walks up to me and shrieks. I still had a lot of fun with my dog, though: Feeding him, walking him, and walking all over the neighborhood trying to find him after he escaped from the backyard again.
My dog’s favorite game was fetch. He had a toy rubber foot that he’d drop in my lap, and then look at me expectantly. I’d dutifully throw it into another room while shouting, “go get it,” and he’d tear after it, knocking things over if need be in his quest to retrieve it. He’d always bring it back, drop it in front of me again, and bark to get my attention. We’d repeat this game for hours if I let it go that long. The only way to break the cycle was to leave the room and hope that he doesn’t think to track me down, foot in mouth.
This game of fetch has surprising applications to my current life interacting with children. Abbie’s newest favorite toy is the mobile from the twins’ Pack ‘N Play. I discovered that she loved mobiles shortly after I set up a pair in the twins’ crib, and found Abbie attracted to them with a tenacity even Goldfish crackers couldn’t break. I had to quickly tear those mobiles down to keep her from constantly climbing in the crib to play with them. She still constantly climbs in their crib, but more for the challenge than to play with the still-standing mobile bases. I also needed to keep her from playing with the mobiles because they’re fragile toys not meant for toddlers to grab, a fact that she confirmed for me when she broke one of the bases in half the other day.
The mobile on the Pack ‘N Play is different. It’s meant to handle the rigors of travel, a.k.a. “Pack,” so it’s made of a durable material capable of surviving a fall from the luggage rack to the speeding interstate below. This strength gives it a chance to survive a toddler.
Abbie loves batting at and pulling on this mobile. Unfortunately it easily pops off the Pack ‘N Play, and a mobile stranded on the ground isn’t much good. So she’ll drop it in my lap and look at me expectantly until I hold it in the air for her. This usually happens while I’m holding, feeding, changing, or otherwise using both of my hands for a baby-related chore. Sparing a hand for the shortest possible time, I’ll grab the mobile and throw it into another room while shouting “go get it,” and she’ll tear after it, knocking things over if need be in her quest to retrieve it. She’ll always bring it back, drop it in front of me again, and shriek to get my attention. We’ll repeat this game for hours if I let it go that long. The only way to break the cycle is to leave the room and hope that she doesn’t think to track me down, mobile in hand.
She’s smarter than a dog though, and usually does think to track me down while shrieking the entire time. At this point I’ll distract her with some sort of snack, and hide the blasted thing so she doesn’t think to play with it again. I learned that trick from my dog too.
My dog’s favorite game was fetch. He had a toy rubber foot that he’d drop in my lap, and then look at me expectantly. I’d dutifully throw it into another room while shouting, “go get it,” and he’d tear after it, knocking things over if need be in his quest to retrieve it. He’d always bring it back, drop it in front of me again, and bark to get my attention. We’d repeat this game for hours if I let it go that long. The only way to break the cycle was to leave the room and hope that he doesn’t think to track me down, foot in mouth.
This game of fetch has surprising applications to my current life interacting with children. Abbie’s newest favorite toy is the mobile from the twins’ Pack ‘N Play. I discovered that she loved mobiles shortly after I set up a pair in the twins’ crib, and found Abbie attracted to them with a tenacity even Goldfish crackers couldn’t break. I had to quickly tear those mobiles down to keep her from constantly climbing in the crib to play with them. She still constantly climbs in their crib, but more for the challenge than to play with the still-standing mobile bases. I also needed to keep her from playing with the mobiles because they’re fragile toys not meant for toddlers to grab, a fact that she confirmed for me when she broke one of the bases in half the other day.
The mobile on the Pack ‘N Play is different. It’s meant to handle the rigors of travel, a.k.a. “Pack,” so it’s made of a durable material capable of surviving a fall from the luggage rack to the speeding interstate below. This strength gives it a chance to survive a toddler.
Abbie loves batting at and pulling on this mobile. Unfortunately it easily pops off the Pack ‘N Play, and a mobile stranded on the ground isn’t much good. So she’ll drop it in my lap and look at me expectantly until I hold it in the air for her. This usually happens while I’m holding, feeding, changing, or otherwise using both of my hands for a baby-related chore. Sparing a hand for the shortest possible time, I’ll grab the mobile and throw it into another room while shouting “go get it,” and she’ll tear after it, knocking things over if need be in her quest to retrieve it. She’ll always bring it back, drop it in front of me again, and shriek to get my attention. We’ll repeat this game for hours if I let it go that long. The only way to break the cycle is to leave the room and hope that she doesn’t think to track me down, mobile in hand.
She’s smarter than a dog though, and usually does think to track me down while shrieking the entire time. At this point I’ll distract her with some sort of snack, and hide the blasted thing so she doesn’t think to play with it again. I learned that trick from my dog too.
posted by Matt at
9:56 PM
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