By Cheryl Bac
E-mail Cheryl Bac
About this blog: I'm a wife, stay-at-home mom, home cook, marathon runner, and PhD. I recently moved to the Silicon Valley after completing my PhD in Social Psychology and becoming a mother one month apart. Before that, I ran seven marathons incl...
(More)About this blog: I'm a wife, stay-at-home mom, home cook, marathon runner, and PhD. I recently moved to the Silicon Valley after completing my PhD in Social Psychology and becoming a mother one month apart. Before that, I ran seven marathons including Chicago and Boston. Exercise is an integral part of my life. I hope to one day go back to long distance running and tackle the New York City Marathon. Right now I run after my one year old son. Although I am a stay-at-home mom, we are rarely "at home." My mom also stayed at home with my brother and me. She warned me that, although rewarding, it can be isolating. So, with her help, I learned the importance of getting out into the community and meeting other mothers. On the rare occasion when I am at home and have a hand or two free, I squeeze in time to scrapbook. As a new mom, many challenges are thrown my way. I hope my opinions, triumphs, and struggles help experienced parents reminisce, new parents cope, and parents-to-be get an honest glimpse of what the first years of motherhood can entail.
(Hide)View all posts from Cheryl Bac
Toddlers are known for loving repetition. They eagerly request (or demand) the same books to be read, songs to be sung, games to be played, and movies to be watched over and over again. My husband and I knew repetition was important to help our son learn, but it wasn't always easy to embrace it.
However, now that we are parenting two kids, I am much more likely to welcome these "boring" activities. I can easily multitask and nurse when singing a song I know by heart or reading a story I've read 100+ times. These "boring" activities have become life savers to me. They get us through the day when my energy is low, baby is going through a growth spurt or our toddler is just having an off day.
We all know that repetition is beneficial to toddlers, but it can take awhile to see those benefits concretely. Now that we are making our way out of the newborn fog, the benefits of repetition are also becoming clearer. Our son has learned key phrases in his favorite books and can sing his favorite songs. It's a win-win, so I say "bring on the boring!"
How do you handle the repetitiveness of toddlerhood?
