Toddlerdom, here we are now entertain us

Curious George is 16mnths old and I am finding that there are three main challenges in life at present:
1. Discipline
2. Getting any food inside him
3. Entertainment

The first two make the days rough sometimes but it is the last one that has me exhausted mentally and physically at the end of each day.

In the movie About a Boy, he Hugh Grant character is an island, as he describes himself. A bachelor with no job (he's got money) and no other obligations. He finds that breaking his day down into units of 30min each the makes filling the time more manageable. For example having his hair gently disheveled 2 units.

Well this is how I feel about my day with my toddler except that a toddler's attention span is at most and with a real push 30min. Realistically it's more like 15min. This said I've worked out that my day consists of around 44 units. Fortunately about 4 of those are filled with a day time sleep. However it's the other 40 that keep me constantly on my toes.

How on earth are you supposed to think up that many activites to entertain a child who does not know how to play on their own yet. No wonder moms spend lots of time at the shops or at baby classes like moms and tots etc.

As a disclaimer just let me explain that I am not the perfect stay at home mom and that I by no means spend my whole day doing awesome preschool style activities with my child. Yes sometimes we paint or make an obstacle course but most often it's just me following him around and trying to think up something to move onto next when he gets bored and irritable with his current interest.

I also take every moment when he is occupying himself. I used to think that just letting him wonder around aimlessly was bad form from me as a mom. However I now realize that it's actually healthy for him to learn to entertain himself. So when it happens I try not to interfere, unless of course he's doing something dangerous like expiring plug sockets with a set of keys (thank goodness for plug covers).

On days when we are at home the whole day it's a real challenge. Thank goodness for the couple of units occupied by making food, trying to get it inside your child and then discipling your child for throwing it all over the floor.

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