All About Your Child

Finally Binbin, 2, knows how to rinse his mouth. He used to drink the water instead of spitting it out. I’m observing for another week or two. If he is really good at rinsing his mouth, then I can introduce brushing with toothpaste.

I feel a great sense of achievement, not for myself, but for the kids, whenever they progress on to taking care of themselves. One day, I know I will not hear :

“Mummy, I want you to brush my teeth….”

“Mummy, I want you to wear my shirt for me….”

“Mummy, help me wear my shoes…..”

“Mummy, feed me…”

“Mummy, I can’t do this, can you do it for me….”

“Mummy, I want you to play cars with me….” and when this day comes, I will really missed these duties that seem to be sucking energy out of me everyday now.

Remembering the time when I was just rubbing his baby gums with a wet handkerchief. Then went on to rub his first tooth. As more teeth appeared, the very first toothbrush came into action. His expression and the twitching of his eyes during his first brush was so funny. Then he asked to try brushing on his own…..

For Keatkeat, my 4-year-old, have ‘completed’ the cycle. He is now an independent little fellow; able to squeeze his strawberry flavoured toothpaste on his Mickey Mouse toothbrush; rinse his mouth twice before he starts brushing in and out, up and down; when his mouth is full of foam, he rinse his mouth clean; washes his toothbrush and finally putting it back on the rack. What a big boy now!

How often we take these little things for granted? Treasure every moment with your child, for before you know it, they are but memories only.

My friend was complaining to me that her 2-year-old son was driving her nuts! She said,” there was this time, I asked him if he wanted the fishball, he said ‘no’. So she took it away and gave him a hotdog, then he shouted ‘fishball’. When she passed him the fishball, he called for hotdog. So frustrating. Then when I pass him the hotdog again, he wanted the fishball!”

It seems that the child can’t make up his mind. But that’s not true, he is actually learning and practising independence and making choices for himself.

My boys went through that stage too. Binbin was more ‘problematic’ than his elder brother. Binbin can slap the thing (whatever that is offered to him) off your hand and you may think that he really hated it, but when you pick up the thing and head for the dustbin, he actually scream to have it back.

After learning that its just another development stage in a child, I tackled this problem by not asking him to make a choice. I used to ask, “would you like to wear the Mickey shirt or the Car shirt….do you prefer the lollipop or the chocolate…do you want milk or orange juice…….”

Not anymore now. I simply give it to him without asking for him to make a choice. I choose for him. If he doesn’t want what I gave him, then I told him he will have to pick the alternative all by himself.

Or else, I would asked him to go and make his choice without me giving any comments or suggestions. For example, when we were preparing to go shopping, I would say,” ok, Binbin, go choose a shirt you want to wear to the shopping centre.” And off he went to pick up his choice.

In this way, the child learns to make decisions, no screaming from the child and reduces confusion from the parent. Let the child make his own choice, let him learn to make decision for himself and grow his independence.

Do you onced had a 2-year-old or having one now? Same situation?