This child who came in for consultation insisted that he turned the table upside down and I let him do it when I knew that it was not worth resisting his repeated efforts!
For that twenty minutes when he lay there watching rest of us converse and continue our business gave me another insight about how a toddler's mind think and plan.
When he came into the room he went under the table and wanted us to play with him 'hide and seek'. We did that for a while. When he found that amusing, he decided to upturn the table. He pulled the table cloth and gave it to me folded and tried to turn the table upside for which he needed help. He seemed surprised when I did not resit him from doing it. There was peace after he did it.
Is this an exploratory instinct or an inappropriate childish behaviour!
Most toddlers are are on the go and move about impulsively. They can be directed and distracted by clever interruptions. However sometimes they are persistent. It is then, it would be interesting to watch their thought process evolve into action. When we can let that happen we give them a feeling of accomplishment. Toddlers too need that emotional feeling for their emotional intelligence to develop. Those who feel content to express themselves are more confident and sociable.
Take time to watch children. They tell their stories and ideas through what they do ! That is how we can keep a track of how they grow and develop!
It is this pleasure of watching children leisurely that kept me going for thirty five years in my clinical work with developmentally challenged children and their families!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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