No, there’s no app for that……
By Heather Keenan
In a world where it seems new gadgets are invented weekly to make our daily routines easier I have found, as a mother, that there are just some things in life that still have to be done the old fashioned way, with time and lots of patience. That being said, I have discovered that I do not always excel in the patience department with my adorable, loving, strong willed two-year-old! After a particularly rough day with her I decided to take some time out to reflect on what could be done to make sure that days like those were limited. This is what I came up with.
The main issue at our house as of late is potty training. I’m not a fan of the wording, potty “training”, so let’s call it potty “time”. While she has been using the potty for a few months now, and doing very well, she does, just like two-year-olds do, have the dreaded accident here and there. I can deal with that. Most of the time. Then there are those times where I swear she is just peeing on the floor for fun. That’s where my patience issue comes into play.
So, I thought about this issue and finally asked myself, “Why do I feel like this should be easier for her to get?” I mean, let’s be honest, switching from diapers to big girl undies is a BIG deal. Why do I feel like my two year old should be able to make this transition seamlessly? Well, maybe not seamlessly, but at least without what I feel are avoidable accidents?
These days it is nothing unusual to see a toddler scrolling away on Mom’s iPhone, iPad, etc. These devices are so easy to use, even a two-year-old can do it! But what we forget is that these gadgets are not targeted for toddlers, they are for us, our guilty pleasures. Perhaps seeing the tiny fingers of my baby navigate from app to app has somehow desensitized me to the fact that my technology savvy toddler is, in fact, still only a TODDLER.
Am I subconsciously feeling like my two year old should have no issues with doing something as simple as potty time because I watch her use my high tech gadgets with such ease? What I feel I am forgetting is that all of this great technology is made to be easy. That is the appeal. However, no matter what easy technology they come out with next some things will still have to be done the tried and true way. With patience, love and time.
So while I might need new rugs in the house by next year and there will be days I want to rip my hair out, I just need to remember that my two-year-old is a two-year-old. Regardless of how technologically advanced she is. Learning to use things that are designed to be easy is just that. Easy. However; learning the basics that are needed to exist in this big world is not so easy. Those basics require me to be a patient teacher.
It is so easy to lose sight of things in this fast paced world and I think that sometimes we just need to remember that there is not an app for everything in life and that we need to try to treasure the good and the rough days that we are lucky enough to get to share with our little ones.
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