AdventureDad

After reading more about children's way of learning plus having a second incredibly curious and impatient child I've been thinking more of what us parents consider ideal child behavior.  It seems like most parents, myself included before our daughter was born, actually inhibit our children's learning instead of encouraging it.  

An infant is roughly like a computer with an empty hard drive  Both infant and computer start off from zero, I know it's not completely correct but play along, and can only learn by being instructed or experiencing new things.  A computer learns by being programmed while an infant learns by experiencing everything in it's surrounding.  

Initially, the infant can't do much but this changes quickly.  My 11 month daughter is extreme, even though she seems to have slowed down somewhat, and wants to touch and put everything in her mouth.  Doesn't matter if it's a cheerio, a shoe, or a car.  It must go apparently go in her mouth. The appeal is greater with dirtier items which must be a child's way of driving a parent crazy.  On top of that she's hungry to see everything that's going on, I can practically see her brain wanting to suck new things in. 

I know this is normal in small children but she's extreme.  Father's of twins have more than once told me "that looks like lots of work", perhaps that can be an indicator of how active she is.

Now, think of what kind of behavior we encourage.  Sitting silently in the playpen looking at the same toy as last week for two hours is considered excellent.  Just fantastic behavior. A baby climbing the walls eager to touch, smell, lick, and experience everything in the room as quickly as possible is seen as something negative.  Parental behavior should be the opposite.  We should be incredibly glad our children are naturally curious and want to learn about it's surroundings. 

I find the previous generation a perfect example of this thinking.  The perfect child seem to be one that sits silently in a corner looking at the wall for hours.  No work, no playing, and little effort required.  Perfect. 

As children get a little older they must obviously be able to behave in society.  We like to take our kids to restaurants, travel a lot, and want them to behave nicely regardless if people are around or not.  But that's stuff that comes a little after the infant stage.

Our first child, Daniel (now 3.5 years old) didn't sit still all day but he was not very curious.  As parents, we though that was great.  It made life a little easier for us.  Our daughter is the complete opposite, she's like a tornado.  But she learns fast.  Very fast.  Some might be inclined to decrease, or at least try, behavior like that.  But I have learned a lot during my few years as a parent and know that  curiosity and a hunger for learning is something that should be encouraged, not discouraged.

We are doing everything we can to encourage her eagerness for experiencing new things even though it's very demanding. It's  a treat to see someone so small and innocent be so curious.  I wish I was still that curious about the world.  And I hope she can keep her curiosity as she gets older.

We are of course also raising her to speak three languages at once and it will be fascinating to follow her progress and compare it to her brother.  Every child is a unique individual and develops at their own pace but it's still interesting to watch from the sides how two of your children can be so different.   

Categories: Annika, Daniel, Kid stuff, Tri-Lingual
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