>That’s Entertainment.
>
No.
They’re talking about the part that involves keeping a toddler entertained for a solid 14 hours a day.
And play time with a two-year-old isn’t exactly stimulating.
“Read books,” Baby says to me 50 times a day. “Mommy, read books.”
I try to oblige. I figure the more I read to her, the faster she’ll learn to read on her own. It’s a win-win situation. But while she once could sit still for only about 15 minutes during reading time, now she’ll listen for as long as I’ll read. One hour, two hours… Okay, I’ve never made it that far. But I have literally read until my voice has given out. And of course it’s the same books over and over again.
Is there such thing as brain atrophy?
Then there are the games. Make believe two-year-old-style is all about the repetition. The game of choice right now is simple. I take a doll and she takes a doll. The dolls hug. The dolls fight. The dolls hide from each other. Cute, right?
Thirty minutes later, it ain’t so cute. I’d even venture to call it annoying.
Today’s variation involved Hand Puppet Elmo and a really ugly baby doll that Baby inexplicably adores. I played the role of Elmo.
ELMO: Elmo wants Ugly Baby Doll! Can Elmo play with Ugly Baby Doll and then hide her where you will never find her so that mommy doesn’t have to look at her again?
BABY: No!
ELMO: Oh please?! Please? Okay, Elmo will take Ugly Baby Doll by force!
BABY: No, Elmo! NOOOOOOO!
ELMO: Okay, sorry Baby. Elmo will leave Ugly Baby Doll alone. For now.
BABY: Yeah!
ELMO: Just kidding! Elmo will take Ugly Baby Doll off to his Elmo cave and sing Elmo’s World until her head explodes! YAY!!!
BABY: No! NO ELMO! NOOOOOOOO!
And that’s what I am treated to each time I turn down her play time requests. Ear splitting shrieks of indignation. Does your boss do that?
I didn’t think so.
>hahahahahahahahaadorable!
>Why can’t we live closer so I could buy you a stiff drink and vice-versa? We would have SO MUCH in common to vent about over a few margaritas…so very much…(And something tells me our girls would get along marvelously.(grin)
>dude, you are freaking me out. Peanut is only 7 weeks!!!
>Baby girls is a superhero. Staunch protector of ugly baby dolls.Elmo needs a nap, I think.
>Not that exactly, but similar.
>I thought that last one was an evil laugh. Either way- it’s clear who is in charge here. Great pictures 🙂
>I am not of the Sesame Street generation. I hate them all. My kids never really liked them either. Yayyy!! I wonder what this baby boy will find entertaining and thusly drive me slowly insane with. Thank the heavens Barney is not so big in this day and age either.
>I have thought the same thing about Barney, Angie. Blecccchhh. Elmo I can handle. And Dora’s kind of cute…But a dorky purple dinosaur? Yeesh.
>Is it the same book over and over? Cuz that’s what we get? Thank god for music and art class (I teach the music ones myself). Otherwise, god help me.I need to teach her how to blog. Or start the dvd on her own (although I think she atually knows how).
>The Teen, in her day, loved Barney. I wanted to put a stick of dynamite in his backside.Baby still naps? Lucky duck, you are. The Toddler gave them up a couple of months ago and it’s driving me insane. I’m considering drugs… for me, not her.
>Cranky Boss Lady does do that but she’s nowhere near as cute as Baby is when Baby’s doing it. (Not that you think it’s cute the 87th time it happens in a day…)
>When I had 3 kids under the age of 7 what I did was become friends with all the other women who didnt work on my street. We had coffee almost every morning and let the kids just tear it up… it really saved my sanity.. well that and a good bottle of booze
>LOL I am so glad I found your site you make me laugh everyday! Bad Elmo!;) Very Beautiful Daughter!:)
>”Does your boss do that?”I noticed you have the organizational chart figured out. Whether you like it or not, baby IS boss!
>Wait till you see what Thomas has been up to this morning. I’m charging camera batteries now but it will be posted later today. Oh boy.
>times that by FIVEand you have my job…all dayevery day.bah.
>Actually my boss does do that, but thats a whole OTHER issue. As for the entertainment portion of your day, may I suggest the most wonderful tool that is not video related – a portable casset player & a large stock of books on tape. We used to have tons of the things and the kids would haul their little mini-boom boxes from room to room listening to the books with headphones on. I caught on to the headphones thing after hearing the same story 48 gajillion times one afternoon.
>MY boss does exactly that, but she just turned three. And “amen sister”, to the mind-melting repetition of playing with a toddler all day.Barney is verboten in our house. The rest of them I can handle, but he’s just too creepy, and the kids are all like little Stepford children.
>I think she needs TWO naps. I think my brain would melt. Teach her how to fold towels. Chores are good for kids.
>Interesting that you mentioned folding towels. Yesterday, she discovered the “stacking books” game. She takes all the dozens of books she has pulled out of her bookshelf and strewn across the floor and carefully stacks them one on top of another. It takes up at least a 30 minute time block. Independent play! Victory!
>Oh, the pain, I feel it. Every day. After being obsessed with books for the first two years of his life, the kid has now decided that he only wants music and ME. And not necessarily in that order.
>Here’s a game she might like…give her a dry (clean of course) paintbrush and tell her to “paint” the furniture. Or, my daughter always loved dusting the furniture with an old timey feather duster. I’m only home with the kids Friday through Sunday and I’m constantly trying to come up with fun diversions, especially in the winter.
>Trying to catch up on posts….your daughter is so beautiful. I hate the bad experience at the drop off day care…I hope she is secure, happy and forgotten it by now. Poor baby.