Yesterday, my family attended an outdoor, socially distanced, and 100% masked gathering for my niece’s second birthday. She got a lot of fun toys, but of course, Grandma’s gift was the best — a Barbie dream house! She immediately started playing with it. As I chatted with my family and ate cake, I noticed how this little 2-year-old sat and played intently with her new Barbie house for a good 20 minutes, and only stopped because we interrupted her to say goodbye at the end of the party.
Meanwhile, when we got home, my 5-year-old — an only child — struggled to find anything to do with her time.
“Mommy, can I play on your phone?”
However, there are some tips I’ve read about that I need to work on — ASAP
First, I need to stop interrupting her. I have ADHD, so if I remember something I need to tell her, or find something that she needs to put away, I have to tell her that minute or I’ll forget. I think I need to start writing these down on a Post-It and having her check the to-do list when she’s finished playing so I don’t constantly stop her flow of play.
I also need to let her keep practicing playing solo. There’s no reason to expect that my 5-year-old will magically grasp the idea of independent play the first time. But, I’ve realized through my ADHD that I’m an all-or-nothing type of person. If something doesn’t work the first time, I’m off on my way looking for something that will. What I really need to do is give her
time and repeated practices before I give up and let her turn on the TV.
All this is to say, it's definitely a work in progress
Right now we’re in school, but based on current COVID-19 numbers, it might not be for long. My goal is to get her ready to play independently so that when we’re home together, she can entertain herself so Mommy can get some remote work done. Here’s to blessing the mess.
