Tags
20 Things I Have Learned from 2 year-olds
I’ve raised four of them (that picture is of my third daughter Carissa at age 2).
And I see over a hundred of them a week at JAG Gym.
This I will say about 2 year olds: they can teach us an awful lot about what it means to live a good life.
Here are 20 things I have learned from 2 year olds:
- “I did it!” Be proud of your accomplishments.
- “Why?” Ask questions.
- “I do it.” Be independent.
- “Help!” But not so much so that you fail to ask for help when you really need it.
- Take a nap.
- “No!” It’s good to set boundaries.
- Hug the people you love. Unabashedly and frequently. And if you are scared or sad, it’s okay to hug them even harder and longer.
- The box is the best part of the toy. Don’t over look the things that others throw away. (That includes ideas, people and animals).
- Make a mess. You find creativity when you are less concerned with order.
- Stop eating when you aren’t hungry. Yes, it is possible to only eat half a cookie.
- It’s all right to cry. And shriek. And scream. It’s perfectly normal to feel.
- Keep language simple.
- Goldfish crackers are worthy of having a tantrum. Also oreos. While literal interpretation could lead to obesity, two year olds fight for the things they really want. The things that matter to them.
- “Mine!” Don’t be embarrassed to claim what is yours.
- Refer to yourself in the third person. Sounds strange but Annie finds that Annie is kinder to Annie when thinking this way.
- Go to bed early and get up at dawn. Really, two year olds have figured out what productivity experts now preach—the morning is our best, most creative time.
- Wear comfortable clothes.
- Baths are nicer with bubbles.
- Laugh. A lot. And about things that no one understands.
- Be yourself. Two year olds don’t put on airs, try to impress or need to convince anyone that they are anything other than who they are.
JAG GYM Blog 