I can only imagine what it's like to experience the world as
a toddler does. I'm guessing that every single day seems brand new and overwhelming
in a variety of ways. The sights, the smells, and the tastes probably all
combine for a pretty epic experience.
However, there are definitely downfalls to experiencing the
world as a toddler does. Obviously, there's that whole lack of complete
sentences thing. One also can't forget about the inability to use a toilet
either. However, I would say chief among the downfalls would be something I
like to refer as "not knowing what you don't know."
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| Man, I thought maybe I had broke new ground with that "not knowing what you don't know" thing. |
I know that in order to fully support my hypothesis, I need
to be able to present legitimate evidence as to why I feel that way. Lucky for
me, Ellie decided to provide me with an example that I feel more than support
my theory.
First, we must flashback to this morning. Between the cold
and the rain, it's obvious that playing outside wasn't really a possibility for
today. However, that didn't mean Ellie and I had to remain cooped up in the
house. Instead, we chose to head to the library this morning for Toddler Story
Time at 9:30.
It should be said that our experience was a little different
than normal with only three other kids in Ellie's age range there. That meant
that Ellie was much more comfortable than normal as she tends to be slightly
spooked by large groups of people, especially when kids older than her are
among them.
While most of the activities were the same old thing, the
closing activity changed things up a little by introducing a new concept to
little Ellie: Play-Doh. I made sure to study my daughter's face intently as I
opened up the jar to reveal the orange substance inside. Curiosity and
confusion spread across her face as I slapped the Play-Doh down on the table
and began rolling it flat.
At this point, Ellie decided that maybe, just maybe, the
Play-Doh wouldn't hurt her and therefore, it was safe to touch. Once her shaky
finger finally made contact, she turned and stared at me to confirm that what
she was doing was right. I smiled back at her to reassure her that it was
indeed safe to play with. We then spent the next few minutes using the cookie
cutters provided to make any number of shapes you can imagine.
Finally, as time went on, Ellie's curiosity began to take
control. First, she grabbed hold of the ball of Play-Doh, lifting it towards
her mouth to take a bite. The result, me intercepting the ball and returning it
to the table where we continued to play. That didn't stop Ellie's curiosity
though as she decided next to divide my attention in order to achieve her goal.
Ellie strategically (at least I like to think so) divided
her Play-Doh into two piles, one near me and one on the other side of Ellie. As
we played with the ball closest to me, I noticed Ellie continually eyeing the
ball on the other side, just looking for an opening to sneak a taste. Finally,
the moment arrived. Ellie had handed me the ball of Play-Doh and the container,
essentially asking me to put it away. As I did so, she quickly lifted the ball
to her mouth attempting a bite. Don't worry as I intercepted the ball again.
However, what I didn't know was that after our time playing
with the Play-Doh, there were small remnants left on the table I hadn't been
paying attention to. Unfortunately Ellie had been. Before I knew what was
happening, Ellie swiped her hand across the table, grabbing a tiny piece of
Play-Doh, and placing it directly in her mouth. I tried in vain to pry her
mouth open and extricate the contents only to find that it was already gone
down her esophagus. Lucky for us, Play-Doh is Non-Toxic and made of wheat
byproducts according to the label.
That being said, I still feel like it's a parenting fail on
my part to let my daughter consume Play-Doh. However, based upon the reactions
of other parents there, I just achieved a special milestone in parenting.
Although, the more I think about it, it doesn't seem like one for the
scrapbook. That's true, right? #DaddyWrite
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| Someone please confirm to me that this isn't Ellie's future now. |
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