Naomi asks a lot of questions. A lot. She needs to know the hows, whens and who's about every situation. Every morning she makes sure to ask what exactly we'll be doing for the day, not to leave out any details. If any details are a bit hazy she asks for some clarification. If I say "we are going to Grandma's house to spend the night" she'll say "who is going?" Then she'll follow up with, "and what are you going to do?" Which means "Will you be leaving me there?" Then she'll ask more specifics about sleeping arrangements, what we'll be eating, who will be coming over, etc. etc. While I usually get a little tired of all the questions, I know she is just filing all the information away in her brain to make sense of her surroundings and her life.
These questions always get me thinking about what it must be like to be a young little person in this world. How scary and uncertain it must be sometimes. I've tried to make our house a bit more kid friendly by making some artwork at their eye level, providing step stools where they need them, having child sized furniture, etc. I'm sure there are many more things that can be done. I know it is important to make your movements thoughtful, not rushed, so that the kids have time to react to your movement (i.e. not get knocked over in your rush) as well as so they can watch and learn from your movements. Since kids learn from modeling, it is important to allow them to watch the steps you take to complete a task. Talking through your actions is also really helpful to eliminate some of the confusion. Don't forget to explain things in detailed ways. You may know a subject like the back of your hand and not even realize you are explaining things WAY above your little one's head.
Now, imagine what your life would be like if you were 3 feet tall and just trying to figure out what is going on. How would you want things explained to you? What would you like to know? Probably everything! And I know one thing is for sure, if you were 3 years old you wouldn't forget any details of what is told to you! If someone tells you at 8 a.m. that you can have a popsicle after your nap, you can bet that will be the first thing on your mind when you wake up!
