She’s on the mend…my little Tot. It has been a long 7 days of fussiness, frustration, and fevers. The blessing is that I was home during this time, but it also was a curse because I had NO break. She was 24/7, and I was literally spent as I’m sure she was. But now…. she’s back, and enjoying discovery.
The beauty of this age is discovery and savoring. I have filled her play area with all kinds of gadgets, including new toys she received for Christmas. This includes more nested cups, a shopping bag with various pseudo fruits and veggies, a rolling xylophone, puzzles and games. Watching her teaches me the joy of learning…she just tries to fit things where they don’t belong, gets frustrated, cries, then regroups and tries another option. I don’t want her to give up, but she looks to me to rescue her from her frustration. I just smile and say, “It’s OK Tate…you got this!” She continues despite this and moves on…perfect!
Currently I’m reading a book called Mindset by Carol Dweck. It differentiates between a fixed or growth mindset and that we all have one or the other. She notes, “praising intelligence and ability doesn’t foster self-esteem and lead to accomplishment, but may actually jeopardize success. With the right mindset, we can motivate our kids and help them to raise their grades, as well as reach our own goals–personal and professional.” I want to create a love of learning and a resilience in her which I can only foster by letting her work through her failures and frustrations, yet with STRONG encouragement and support. (leading her to a GROWTH mindset!) What counts is learning and embracing challenge not IQ or what we have to prove.
I love her so much, and I just want her to be able to handle all that comes to her knowing that I have her back and God will give her the wings and the boost to soar!