I Am But A Child

Logan came home from school today with this poem in the valentine from his teacher. It is so beautiful and true of every child at the age of 3!


I Am But a Child

Look at me, I am but a child.
I won't be grown up for awhile.
Let me enjoy my childhood days
Give me opportunities to run and play.

Let me make discoveries, give me space
That I might develop at a steady pace.
Let me be messy, let me explore
Then as I grow I will learn that much more.

I am very energetic though still quite small.
I run, climb, spill and that's not all.
I am but a child in my own little world.
Inside me there are struggles and twirls.

I have not learned to share or sit still,
When I am older perhaps I will.
I am full of life and curiosity
But that is how I learn, you see.

I need your help in all I do.
I need your love and approval too.
I need your patience day after day
So that I can grow in a positive way.

Play with me, smile at me, hug me too.
I need to know that I am accepted by you.
With your help and guidance, I'll grow to be
all that you expect from me.

by Lenora McWhorter

How to Tell When Your Toddler Watches Too Much TV

Sadly, I fell into the "TV as a baby sitter" trap with Logan when Sophie was born. It was easy to turn on Noggin' to keep him occupied while I took care of the baby. Well, Sophie just turned one, and the TV watching has gotten bad. Here are some examples of how bad.

~First thing in the morning, he runs into the bedroom demanding that Noggin'  (now Nick Jr.) be put on.
~When sitting on the toilet ready for his butt to be wiped he yells, "Ayuda me, Ayuda me, squak, squak!" (I apologize for the possible misspelling on the Spanish).
~He eats celery because the Wonder Pets do.
~He randomly says, "Mom, I think I'm falling for fall".
~He was traumatized when the Jump Arounds turned into the Freshbeat Band over night.
~He keeps saying he doesn't want to be on the Naughty List like Swiper.
~He tells people that Mommy turned Noggin into Nick Jr.
On the plus side, he is learning ;)
~Thanks to Dora and Deigo he knows various Spanish words
~Thanks to Kai Lan he know various Chinese words
~He tells any one that listens "A Cornucopia is a horn shaped basket. Cornucopia means horn of plenty"

Since he has been in school, over a month now, he watches 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the evening.  I don't even want to acknowledge how much he watched before he was inrolled in school! Bad Mommy. And bad Daddy too, because the Hubby falls into the trap worse than I do!

Well, thanks to Santa, the TV watching is getting under control!  A few days ago, Logan asked me, for the millionth time, if he could get a grill for Christmas. I said to him, "If all you want to do all day is watch Nick Jr, why should Santa bring you toys? You don't play with the toys you have, so why would Santa bring you new ones when all you want to do is watch TV?" He looked at me with his mouth open and said, "Turn Nick Jr off Mommy", and went in his room to play. He did not ask me for the rest of the day to watch it. Now, I have been trying to cut back on the Nick Jr. for a while, but have to hear him every 10 minutes beg and whine for it. I admit, I would give in just for quiet and to keep him out of my way while I got stuff done around the house. It's been 3 days now, and he has only asked once! I have let him watch for an hour or so while I get dinner ready. Thanks Santa :) Alas, Logan has no school all week, so it's gonna be a challenge for me not to count on the TV to keep him occupied  (and to keep my sanity)!


Picture from bing.com