As most parts of parenting as your child aquires new skills there are always new challenges. No that Colby know how to express his thoughts we now will have be be working on being kind with our words. But I am happy to be working on that now and am so proud of Colby for all the hard work he does at therapy and here at home. He is amazing.
Equally amazing is my dear daughter Audrey. She is so social. She loves to organize, sort and share her toys with those around her. She also has been learning to express her wants and desires like most one year olds. She defiantly has a pair of lungs that are fully functional. :)
Love those kids
On another topic, I have been thinking about parenting. Initially I have a grand hope that my house will be tv free and video game free. (I guess that was the same hope that my kids would eat anything i feed them and sit patiently when I told then too) in the short of it, that is not how things ended up. I often got caught up with the idea that you have to go all or nothing in parenting. Here are a few examples of what I am talking about "If I let him play videos games, that's all he will do and therefore I have lost him for good. " or " Let them watch tv in the van once and they will never go back to travelling without it" (Which are all things that I allow to do now at times) I so easily get caught up with the idea that once you start something that's just how it will be from then on. I get caught up with once we allow them to do something we then become a slave to it.. Which are all not true. I forget that I am the parent. I control what amount of time they spend doing these things. I am the one monitoring the content of these things as well. I forget that I have both the power and the responsibility to oversee my child's time management. This is my responsibility to teach them.
I realize these are loaded topics among young parents. My point is just that I need to work on being a parent that actively oversees the content of the things I expose my children to and put more effort into parenthood daily. Thinking though what is profitable and what is needed at the moment. Some days that means letting Colby play iPad at costco after his long day at school in the city and hour at speech therapy. (Even when the middle age lady at costco scoffs at me, I can carry on and know that this is a good choice for our situation and our family.) Other days it will mean no iPad at all.
Although these thoughts are becoming clear to me now I have much work to do to become the parent both Colby and Audrey need me to be. But we take it one day at a time.
P.S If you are looking for awesome educational apps for preschoolers, I have a list that I got from Autism services that are great for any kid.