Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Object Permanence Sucks

Nola has always been a little ahead of the curve, but the terrible two's at 10 months? Nola wants everything she sees and when/if she doesn't get it she has begun screaming following by whining to full on crying approaching TANTRUM status--falling to the ground, fists clenched, arms flailing.

And her memory is sharp. Distraction? Not for Nola. I had a Buddha statue atop my dresser. He is made of wood, heavy and holding a bowl with a sharp non baby friendly edge. When she noticed it a couple months ago, she began her "eh eh" hand waving in its direction. Buddha? You want Buddha? And I brought it down for her and showed her how to rub his wonderfully fat belly though she preferred to rub his head. From then on, it was "Ba Ba" when she saw him. Then she hit her head on his hard wooden head while trying to give him a kiss and got an wicked bruise on her forehead so it was bye bye Buddha. But she still knows that he is supposed to be there perched atop my dresser.

Yup, object permanence sucks. The Wet Ones wrapper I left on the table? She wants it. My cup of coffee? She wants it. The junk mail? She wants it. And won't forget about it. This has left me in a parenting quandary between safety and satisfaction. If I am watching would it be so bad for her to play around with the nursing pads? I mean, I know it says choking hazard and YOUR CHILD WILL DIE IF SHE TOUCHES THIS BOX right there on the package. But seriously, I AM RIGHT THERE WITH HER. And it satisfies her for the moment and so what? Am I screwing myself? Probably.




By the way, I am in the market for a more baby-friendly Buddha. Any thoughts?

6 comments:

Annika said...

Here's my take on choking hazards: there is no such thing. Anyone can choke on anything if it goes down wrong, and obviously an infant should not be left alone with, say, a plastic bag, but in general if you are paying attention to your child there is no reason they can't have "dangerous" foods and toys (especially foods). You are observant; you will know if something is a bad idea. For instance, if Nola is the sort of baby who puts tiny things directly into her mouth, steer clear of Legos and marbles. But as long as you use your common sense like that, you can ignore age limits and choking warnings.

Jason said...

Make a buddha out of butter. Mmm. That's what I'd want. Maybe throw some sugar in there.

Amy said...

Jason, thanks for the idea. However, butter is currently off limits for Nola.

Existential Waitress said...

They put choking hazard warnings on everything to cover their asses b/c everyone nowdays is so sue happy. I had to sign a release form yesterday so that Bear can get wet during track and field day - that seems kinda ridiculous to me. If you're supervising, I'd let her play with almost anything. She sounds delightfully curious!

Brittany at Mommy Words said...

Every buddha I have ever seent hat she could not choke on is eavy. The one in my garden is never going anywhere. He is shorter than both of us and just really dense I guess. Yes, you may be shorter. Many people are - but I don;t see a lot. I am basically almost 5'2". About a half inch short of it. I feel really bad for Sophia. She is almost 3 and 2 year olds are starting to tower over her and get into the Ikea playroom. You have to be 37" and she is maybe 35". She asked if she was short because of me. Um...oops sweetheart. I tried to tell her at least she would not tower over boys but she didn't get it. Thanks for stopping by the blog. I will be following you! P.S. about to post about it. It is World Breastfeeding Week. Be Proud!

Amy said...

Darn it. I knew it. I am always the shortest. When we got our life insurance I was measured at 5 feet. But I know the truth and it is slightly shorter than that.