Teachable Moments

So I've been thinking about this new stage that Peter has begun and how I can use it to my advantage. Peter is very bright, and he's really starting to understand and follow verbal commands. Ok, he follows them when he wants to. He wants to be so independent and do everything on his own. His favorite words right now are "no" and "mine".

As soon as I undo the buckle on his car seat, he is practically climbing out of the car himself. If I try to hold him at all, he twists and turns until I'm practically forced to let him down. If we're at home, his first steps are to the grass to find treasures (leaves, rocks, bugs, etc). I'm working on teaching him to go straight to the door.

Yesterday I asked him to go to the door. He walked from the grass to the little sidewalk that leads to the door. He followed me to the porch. He even stepped onto the porch on his own (another new skill!). Then came the hard part.

There were treasures on the table that were left from the day before. They were very tempting to a toddler, so he had to stop and play with them. By this time, I had unlocked the door and stepped inside. I thought he would follow me, but he was too entranced by his treasures to worry about where Mommy was going. I called for him to come inside, but he stayed on the porch. As I walked further into the house, I noticed that he finally started to come a little closer to the door. However, when I walked back to help him over the step to get inside, he turned around to go look at something on the porch.

I gave him a couple of warnings before I had to just take him by the hand and bring him (screaming) into the house. It would have been so much easier had he done it alone, and I know that one day he'll learn that. Until that time, though, I'll enjoy his curiosity and use it to teach him obedience with a happy heart. :)

FYI - Once he was inside, all he wanted to do was nurse. Apparently he hasn't figured out that breastfeeding isn't a part of being independent. As I see him learning new things and growing up before my eyes, it is definitely a good reminder to me that he is still my baby boy.