I got a package of beads in the mail the other day from a fellow etsy shopkeeper. We traded some alphabet cards for a bunch of beads that would be “Baby-Bug safe.” I was a bit worried that Bug might be too young for them. Not because she could choke on them but more because she often gets frustrated when she can’t do something that she really wants to do, like stick a flimsy piece of string through a little hole in the center of a bead. Even though I know it is good for her to get frustrated sometimes and work through it, it’s not so pleasant for me to watch her crumple onto the floor in tears because her brain wants to do something her fingers can’t.

I figured I’d try anyway. I had dinner to cook and I just wanted her to be occupied in some way besides watching cartoons all the live-long day. I set the beads on the coffee table in a jar along with the cording that Carleen had sent us. There were also some pipe cleaners on the table that we had been making spiders out of earlier in the day. I just hadn’t gotten around to putting them away.

As I was cooking away I noticed it was terribly quiet in the living room. I looked over and much to my surprise, Baby Bug was making necklaces without a hint of frustration. She was stringing the beads onto the pipe cleaners. No needle, no knots, no fuss, no mess! What a brilliant idea! Who needs cording when you can make bendable necklaces and bracelets and more out of pipe cleaners! My child is a genius!

It kept her busy for quite a while. It was great.

I’m not so sure the cats appreciated it though…

p.s. Yes, I know I need to do my kid’s hair. She doesn’t look like that all day. Just when she wakes up from her nap and we have crazy Santa Ana weather.