Saturday, August 09, 2008

Family Circus

For as long as I can remember, I have read the comics every day. Even in college, I would glance through the "funnies" while eating my breakfast. Only on occasion do I find them to be actually funny, so I have no idea why I keep reading - pure habit at this point. These days, I feel like my life often resembles a scene from the Family Circus. No, I don't have 4 kids that haven't aged a day in 30 years... However, Bill Keane often draws a strip showing the circuitous route little Billy takes to get from place to place - across the yard, over the wagon, under the slide, in the door, out the door, over the couch, etc. Owen is the toddler version of that comic. He is constantly winding a family circus path through our living room, dining room, porch, and kitchen. Nothing seems to hold his attention for more than a minute or two.* I dream of a day when he will sit and FOCUS for even a few minutes. When he gets tired at the end of the day, it just gets worse - he'll start wandering in circles, arms flapping, eyes darting, interacting with everything in his wake. Just watching him makes me tired! And I've been told he's only going to get faster?
Oy!

*We are working on keeping attention on one activity at a time. Reading books first thing in the morning is usually a winner for 10 minutes or so. The other day, we created a fun puzzle of "try to fit all the blocks into a wooden stacker," which kept Owen on task for a remarkably long time (20 minutes?!?). Someday I may be able to get dressed, cook, or use the bathroom without a shadow...

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Alissa!
Are you and Owen still up for a playdate? I finally have an almost completely free weekend coming up. I feel like it's been forever since I've had some free time.
Maybe coffee with the kiddos on Friday or Saturday morning?