On Thursday, while we were visiting his Aunt Alicia in Atlanta, Owen decided to take his first real stab at walking. In the midst of an exciting game of indoor bowling with Aunt Alicia and Will – and two poodles darting around on the sidelines -- Owen lost all inhibition and took eight steps all on his own.
I counted them as he tottered toward me, laughing as he came. And Rob who’d taken out the video camera to document the bowling game, caught the whole thing on camera.
Since then Owen, who is 13 months old today, hasn’t taken more than a few steps at a time – and then only when he’s so distracted that he forgets he’s walking in the first place. Most of the time if I try coaxing him to take a few steps, he starts shaking his head no, his eyes wide with alarm.
But he’s more than happy to climb up on the kid-sized chair in Will’s room and stand on it before I come to the rescue. Which is why all little chairs are heading to the attic for a sabbatical tonight.
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3 comments:
I know it's scary but I suggest leaving the chairs but being very firm about him sitting only on them. At 2 different parties, I witnessed the after-math of kids falling off chairs on which they'd been standing. Both were not used to being around little chairs because their moms had banned them so they were fascinated by the standing thing. Ronnie and I are the crazy, no door on the stairs kind of parents, and I know this is not the norm. I gleaned this anti-helicopter, teach the kid the real way early (and don't be ashamed of the bumps and bruises that come with it) from my own Dad who never flinches if a kid takes a tumble.
It's good advice Shannon. Rob and I have been telling ourselves that "he's learning" a lot lately as Owen tumbles right and left, and picks up plenty of bruises, especially off a couple of riding toys that we've decided not to hide away. But his standing on the chair obsession was driving me and him crazy -- so I think I'll stick with the sabbatical a couple weeks while he gets just a little surer on his feet and then reintroduce our sturdiest kid chair first. Just buying myself a little sanity til then.
yes! maybe I'm not always the safety-first mother but sanity-first, for sure!
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