Modern Mama

Well guys, it’s official. We have a toddler. No more constant snuggles, multiple naps a day, or ability to put her in a bouncer and get the chores done. While I do find myself missing the baby stage I am starting to appreciate the craziness and fun that a toddler brings to every day experiences (minus the temper tantrums).

One major change for our little one is her obsession with playing outside which means exploring, picking up every rock and pinecone, and trying to run down the middle of the street. At first this was stressful especially when she was still putting everything in her mouth, but the more we leaned into these almost daily adventures the more fun they have become. We have definitely added some toys to the yard to help with this but overall I find myself actually taking the time to enjoy our outdoor space in a way I had never done before. I am allowing myself to be sillier and see our surroundings through our little one’s eyes. There are so many more birds, flowers, and noises that I never used to pay attention. I am also opening myself up to letting her be more independent in her play and do more for herself versus holding her hand all the time which I think most parents can appreciate is absolutely terrifying.

When the weather is bad our little one still needs to get out some of her unlimited amount of energy which has made for a long winter so I have also leaned into finding more community places that offer classes and a play area that we can do together on weekends or go to when there is no way I want to go outside in the rain or snow. So far our favorite has been a gymnastics class called Toddler Gym and swimming at the local YMCA gym. Since our little one is so far a single child this has also been great to help her get more socialization outside of the usual kiddos at daycare. She is definitely starting to gain more confidence in these situations and is learning how to navigate play (aka sharing) with others. My husband and I have also found ourselves being able to switch off and go to the gym ourselves while she is partaking in a class with the other parent so that we are actually staying motivated to go to the gym during the weekend. While my husband has always been pretty good about hitting the gym regularly this really helps me when I miss a workout during the week due to work or being too tired.

As an adult I am pretty disappointed to realize how often I have fallen into the trap of staying in my comfort zone so all of these new experiences and opportunities have really opened me up to trying new things like a fitness class (haven’t done this since I was a kid) and talking to complete strangers. While we hope to teach our kids to do the right things they need to do to grow into productive and kind adults it has been so eye opening in the past few months to see how much I have learned from my little one so if you find yourself hesitant to jump into something new that you’ve wanted to try with your little one or just for yourself I hope you’ll do it. No matter what it’s an experience and a story that pushes you to keep growing which I think we could all use a little more of. If you have found any great ways to keep your child active whether in good weather or bad I would love to hear about it since we are always looking for new ways to keep our little one busy and engaged.