Oh Crap! Potty Training

things in reverse order. Potty training is a vital life skill; your child
needs to learn how to put poop in a potty more than he needs to
attend a music class. But that’s neither here nor there. The point is,
kids these days have busy schedules. We all know that overscheduling
is not good, and we may not think of our toddlers as being truly
overscheduled, but for toddlers, just about anything can count as a
big event. I think our children are running on fumes most of the time
and have what I call “emotional hangovers.”
There’s also the fact that parents are highly invested in “making
memories.” In my opinion, memories get made in the small, lovely
moments that take place between you and your child. They don’t
necessarily require Disneyland or the latest Wiggles concert.
Bottom line: we are moving too fast. We are exposing our children
to too much, too soon. It’s become part of our society. Case in point,
I took my son to the movies to see Chimpanzee, a great nature film.
He gets to watch TV and go to the movies, but I’m picky about what
he watches. The previews for other movies at this particular movie
nearly gave us both seizures; the speed at which images were thrown
at us was assaulting. These days, though, this experience is typical.
Everything around us moves at a very rapid pace. We can barely stand
boredom; the minute we or our children might be bored, we rush to
fill the void.
Now, I live in the real world, and I love Facebook and my smart
phone, so I’m not suggesting you give up all media, but I am asking
you to slow down. Try to combat the overt marketing to our children
at home. Take time to revel in their milestones, like potty training,
zippering up zippers, tying shoes, and riding bikes. Children love