Comments on: I need kid advice.

By: OMSH

OMSH — Sun, 24 May 2009 04:53:11 +0000

I haven’t read all the other replies. Somehow I missed this post when it went up.

You know what I think?
I think she’s you.
You before you matured and became an adult.
She’s the inner child that hates deadlines and wants to stop and learn how to face paint.
Obviously an artist, she’s seeing everything, absorbing sounds, textures, smells, and whatever else comes in her path.

She may (or may not) speed up.
One thing is for sure – she WILL grow up…and not as slow as you might like.

Blessings!

By: Jen Yummy

Jen Yummy — Thu, 21 May 2009 17:21:45 +0000

My 5 year old is a constant chatter box. She also has a 4 year brother that hangs on her every word. Problem solved! ;-)

By: bink & boo

bink & boo — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:28:22 +0000

Not sure she will grow out of the chatter box phase. I am thirty-two and my mom still can’t escape me and my constant chatter. As far as the dawdling goes, I have that issue with my mom. She can’t pass by a tree without commenting on it’s beauty. She can’t let a flower escape her comments. I love my mom and she is my best friend. Other than my husband, I know I can always talk to my mom and she will listen.

Maybe this will be you and bug in thirty some odd years.

P.S. I am a new reader to your blog and from what I have read you sound like an amazing mother. Keep up the great work!

By: pixie

pixie — Sun, 10 May 2009 04:15:43 +0000

this is a hilarious post! i haven’t been to secret agent in years and i just *found* you again at crafty crow. your little baby is all grown up-talking and doing crafts and all! i haven’t seen her since the projectile poo illustration days…
so glad to have visited. and i have a TALKER too, so sadly, i have no advice for you. earplugs?

By: Jen

Jen — Sat, 09 May 2009 13:39:06 +0000

Wow, you’ve already got so many responses, but I’ll put in my two cents anyway. If she doesn’t nap anymore, maybe try having “quiet time”, where she has to stay in her room quietly playing, but she doesn’t have to sleep. I did that with my talkative one and it seemed to work.

The dawdling … I’d like to know the answer too!! My 2-year-old is a HARDCORE dawdler …

Good luck :)

By: amyrks

amyrks — Fri, 08 May 2009 18:04:36 +0000

My 7 yo son is a talker and a mover, and now that he is a reader he reads everything out loud to me. “Mom, mom, listen to this”, from comics, to lego magazines, even the newspaper. And if his mouth isn’t moving his body is. Add to the fact that I have 2 other children, both girls, one older and one younger, it can get pretty loud in my house. Sometimes I just have to tell him, “I can’t listen anymore, my brain needs a rest”

He made the most amazing observation when he was 5, “you know that sometimes you don’t need to say outloud what your brain is thinking” I thought that would help stem the flow of words, and it did for a mere moment, but now he is right back where he left off. I Love him for all his insights and sometimes I tell him that I need a moment of quiet, he’s trying, but it isn’t easy. But whoever said being a parent was easy, clearly never spent anytime with them.
Hang in there, bug’ll be off to college soon enough ;)

By: Jenn (dish)

Jenn (dish) — Fri, 08 May 2009 13:41:59 +0000

Bug seems to be channeling my son, who has been doing this since he turned two and hasn’t stopped yet (turns four in a couple of weeks). I’ll have to stop back when I have time to read the advice left by others…

By: Sarah @ BecomingSarah.com

Sarah @ BecomingSarah.com — Thu, 07 May 2009 21:48:37 +0000

I am completely idea-less, but I did see these illustrations on Flickr last night and the first one made me bust up laughing. I hope that you find a balance that works for both you and Bug soon!

By: josephine

josephine — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:34:52 +0000

Wow. I feel a lot better about this now. Thanks everybody! I’m definitely going to try some of these and I’ll get back to you. Of course now that I’ve written this Bug has been much better. Maybe I should write about her bad behavior more often! Ha ha.

By: Jeanne

Jeanne — Thu, 07 May 2009 12:30:00 +0000

My son is just a few months older than Bug and well… yup. Me too. I think the bottom line is, it’s normal behavior for them. AND it’s totally normal for you to find it infuriating.

I have a 11 month old daughter as well and I can’t get over how easy it is just to pick her up and go WHEREVER I WANT with her. While I have to hold a summit and strategically plan every move to get the 3 year old moving. It’s exhausting.

Feeling your pain…