Monday, July 28, 2008

A Book Review....

It has been 17 years since I had a one year old running around the house. Since that time, I have carpeted, put in new windows, furniture, and even accesorized! Never did I think that I would one day be "baby proofing" again. But, as fate would have it, I am! Although I am enjoying everyday with my little guy, I really hoped that I would not have to put away everything in order to keep it safe. Actually, over time, I have forgotten the majority of things a one year old does, and rather than learning one day at a time, I decided to read about it.

My girlfriend lent me a book called Your One Year Old by Louise Bates Ames, Ph.D., Frances L. Ilg, M.D., & Carol Chase Haber. This book talks about the fun loving, fussy 12 - 24 month old in realistic ways that began to clear the cobwebs from my earlier motherhood days.

Understanding your child makes ALL the difference in the world to a stress free,somewhat peaceful year. Knowing that my child is naturally curious, seems more mature than he really is, and is one big bundle of gross motor activity makes it easy to know that removing objects is easier than constantly saying "no". This is the age where the child is still "becoming". By two, several of the major components will be in place for an easier time: language, movement, abilities.

The book is separated into chapters covering routines, general characteristics, individuality, techniques, and abilities. It is an easy and fast read. Although at times I thought it was written in the 1950's, the copyright is dated 1982. Children are timeless however, and much of the book does characterize my son at this point in time. This is a series of books each designated to a specific year.

If you are wondering about your little one, I highly recommend this series. My friend borrowed this book from her library at the Children's Learning Center at Long Beach City College where she works as a Child Development Specialist and they still refer to the collection.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

My kids are only 5 1/2 years apart, but I forgot everything in between too.