AuntyB and Grandmama

My toddler is too, two slow!

Help! I'm out of patience. My toddler is two slow. We never manage to meet any deadline on time any more.  How can I hurry things along?

AuntyB: Take your too slow two year old to Grandmama's or AuntyB's. They have just put on their brakes to their fast-paced lifestyle, trading it in for more deliberate slow-quality moments.  That's why Grandmamas, Auntys and Grandbabies mesh so well.

Both prioritize willfully the enjoyment of small magical successes. All are fiercely independent.They do not want anyone to take over their challenges. There is this mutual understanding. Each allows the other space to unfold and time.

You also need a break!  Recognize that. Your two year old must accomplish goals according to an individual personal inner time frame.  They can not be pushed. Rushing ends up in a tantrum disaster or a passive dependent child.

Give up rigid time schedules or get some outside help when you must meet your own deadlines. You need time to be. Call Grandmama or AuntyB. They remember when you were two and two slow.

I applaud your patience as your little one is working so hard at being independent.

Grandmama: Oh yes. I remember when the Mother's Day Out teacher lovingly told me that she thought of our middle daughter as "The Poky Little Puppy." It wasn't a problem for them or her. And three years later it wasn't a problem with her Kindergarten teacher who said she had the longest attention span of any child she'd ever seen.

But getting out of the house on time. Whew.

Living Close to Family: A Personal Note from AuntyB

AuntieB: I grew up with my Granny up the hill in her little white frame house, and my Grandma and Aunt across the creek from our house.  It shaped my life.  I was in and out of their homes daily.

In the cold weather, I would warm my backside at Granny’s open gas heater just inside the front door. Grandma Bennett walked over every morning just to say hello and out the door again.

And, Aunt Ruthie always had time, every day, to see me.  We often had supper together or a cheese and cracker snack.  She played the piano for me, and we sang together.  Ruthie loved gardening, and I loved helping her.  One day, she was bitten by a snake and rushed over to Granny’s home.  Granny cut her finger and bled out the poison.

We all rolled together as a family unit, the child being a common denominator. I was that child. I felt loved by everyone and loved each one dearly.