Happy Monday droolers! I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day filled with family, love and chocolate!
This morning, I am thinking about healthy environments. This includes the school or daycare environment, as well as the home environment.
Children thrive when they are able to explore and discover on their own, but parents need to make sure their children are safe even while they venture out on their own.
In our house, that means giving Alex space to explore, but doing it in a way that he won't get hurt.
Bumps and bruises happen, but a fall down the stairs can cause lifelong trauma.
While I have baby-proofed most common areas, I didn't go overboard, and not all of the dangers are completely covered in foam bumpers. A little danger is natural in the world.
The most important thing to remember is to watch your child.
This seems like common sense, but so many injuries happen when the parents get distracted or wander out of the room.
I remember when I was growing up, I ended up cutting a chunk out of my hair while my mom ran to the very next room to answer the phone. All it takes is a minute alone with a pair of scissors.
While that incident did not cause irreparable harm, it could have just as easily been a pair of scissors to the eye, or a topple out of a chair.
Who knows what mayhem a little one can cause when out on his own.
By the same hand, I also write to allow some danger into your child's life. Let him learn that tables are hard and hurt when bumped with a little head. A couple knocks to the noggin' and hopefully your little one decides to steer clear of low tables.
Droolface has had minor accidents, but nothing dramatic. Of course, he isn't walking yet, so a whole new world of discovery and bumps lies ahead of us.
Just don't let your parenting become super-protective nit-picking. Children are going to eat things off the floor. They are going to try dangerous feats of bodily strength. That's how they learn what they can do.
Just watch them and enjoy their view of the world.
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Real Parents. Real Food. Real Fun.
Welcome to Adventures in Drool! Talking about green living, getting rid of plastics and toxic chemicals in our homes and raising happy kids on a budget. Join the conversation (www.adventuresindrool.com) and don't forget to Like us on Facebook!
Rachel Swick Mavity, author of the blog, lives with a reformed drooler (Droolface), who at age 3 loves to get muddy, drink homemade smoothies, giggle and flirt with old ladies. Her current drooler (Birdy) enjoys spitting up on work clothes and leaving drool trails as a way of showing her love.
Mavity previously worked as a journalist for seven years at newspapers from Pennsylvania to Maryland and Delaware. In Sussex County she worked for several newspapers, including the Cape Gazette. She lives in Lewes with her husband, Ryan Mavity, their son, "Droolface," and daughter, "Birdy."
