Rhythm Child

Earlier this week Baby M and I went to Rhythm Child at the Santa Monica Library's Fairview branch. The Rhythm Child network has a variety of products and programs, but at the library, founder Norm Jones led the kids in a drum workshop. Baby M loves drumming and had a blast at the workshop. Norm had a ton of energy, but perhaps even more importantly, he had a ton of instruments. Every kid could get the exact type of drum he or she wanted so there were no fights or tears. Somewhere along the way Baby M lost his bongo drum and we just grabbed another one out of one of the large bins. No problem.

Norm led the kids in playing loud and soft, fast and slow, taught them some simple rhythms and told them a story about Pirates. The kids had plenty of time to drum, dance, sing and just be themselves. I've seen a fair number of child entertainers by this point and one thing that made Norm stand out was how well he responded to some of the more unexpected actions of the kids. When one child explained that he didn't have a drum but he did have a "pee pee potty" Norm was impressed. When another child came up to the front to show Norm his pirate shirt, Norm just lifted him up and said, "Look everybody, he has pirates on his shirt." In both cases he incorporated their comments into the performance and made everyone feel comfortable and part of the group. It's easy for entertainers in these situations to play to the parents or older kids with jokes or eye rolls that leave the younger kid feel confused or embarrassed. I've been to other events where a disruptive child asked to sit down or he is indulged while a disapproving glance is directed towards the parent. In this case nothing felt disruptive or inapproriate. It didn't matter if you had a shy kid, a loud kid or a kid who just wanted to bang on a drum, everyone felt accepted and everyone had fun. It was one of the most joyful afternoons we've ever spent at the library.

Rhythm Child has events throughout Los Angeles, and many of them are free. Check out their calendar to find out where they'll be next.

Time for a new mommy

I've been watching episodes of My So-Called Life on Hulu lately. I loved the show the first time around, but back in the early 90's I was much more interested in Angela's crush on Jordan Catalano than the sub-plots involving her parents. Now I am struck by her parent's struggle to deal with a child who suddenly seems to wish they would just disappear.

The point being, I am fully aware that someday Baby M will shrug off my hugs, roll his eyes at me and ask to be dropped off a block away from his destination so that I don't embarrass him in front of his friends. However, I figured this change would occur sometime in early adolescence, not at 2 years old. I was definitely not prepared for Baby M to push me and then say "I'm pushing you away because I don't want you anymore. I want a new Mommy."

Initially I was more shocked than hurt. This seemed like a pretty sophisticated sentence, not to mention concept for a 2 year old. Did he really want a different mommy? I admit, I was not at my parenting best when the exchange occurred. I was sitting next to Baby M as he lingered over his lunch, refusing to eat until I tried to take the plate away and then taking one tiny bite to show he wasn't finished yet. I was bored, distracted by a KenKen puzzle and not paying much attention to Baby M. But still, was I really such a terrible mother that he needed to trade me in?

A few moments later he relented, claimed he didn't want a new mommy and nearly strangled me trying to convince me of his love. But the whole incident gave me pause. I hope this is not indicative of things to come.

The Almighty Timer

The timer on my iPhone is my new best friend. With the help of the timer Baby M happily leaves the park, brushes his teeth, even sits down to dinner (although remaining seated is a whole different ballgame). Who knew Baby M would have more respect for a beeping handheld device than for his own mother?

I have to admit I was a little late to the timer party. My husband started using the timer with Baby M, unbeknownst to me, several weeks ago. I have friends using the timer with their kids and I have even read books singing the praises of "Mr. Dinger." I don't know why I never bothered to try one with Baby M. Instead, when it was time to go I would lovingly try to reason with him, moving on to bribes and then outright commands. When all else failed I would drag a kicking and screaming toddler from the sandbox. Now I simply say "It's time to leave in 5 minutes. What kind of timer do you want?" Baby M selects a sound from the iPhone's list of standard ringers, I set the timer and we're done. It doesn't always goes smoothly, but usually the battle is around whether or not I set the timer not whether or not we leave. Once the timer is set there are no further arguments. The almighty Marimba (or Robot or Old Car Horn) always gets the final word.

And how deeply is the power of the timer ingrained in Baby M's psyche? Yesterday I was brushing my teeth before we ventured out for the day. Baby M came into the bathroom with his toy cell phone. He hit the button and it started beeping. "It's time to go" he told me matter-of-factly. Ask not for whom the timer beeps, it beeps for thee.

Why?

At almost 27 months to the day Baby M entered his “why” phase. I can actually pinpoint the conversation that announced it

Me: Let’s put your jacket on
Baby M: Why?
Me: Because it’s cold outside
Baby M: Why?
Me: Because it’s winter
Baby M: Why?
Me: Because the Earth revolves around the sun on a tilted axis
Baby M: Why?
Me : That’s just Earth’s nature

I have noticed that no matter how many iterations of “why?” and “because…” we go through, there ultimately appear to be just two answers—“That’s just X’s nature” and “Because I was born clumsy.” I suppose once you think about it, they are really the same answer. Being clumsy is just my nature.

Griffith Park, The Trails & the Observatory

Last Sunday was beautiful in Los Angeles. Sunny, blue sky, warm weather, a perfect day for a hike. So we headed over to Griffith Park to check out The Trails Cafe and do a little hiking. The Trails is a great place for brunch with a little one. It's very simple-- a walk up counter and some picnic tables off to the side. There are a few games piled next to the eating area for guests to play; Baby M was particularly fond of Connect Four. The menu is healthy, plenty of organic and even vegan options. My husband and I had homemade granola with a generous portion of fresh berries. Baby M had a waffle with real maple syrup. We also picked up a couple of their infamous lavender shortbread cookies, which were amazing. Really, the best shortbread cookies I've had in my life. At 9:30am the cafe wasn't very crowded, but by the time we left the park around 1pm there was a line of people down the road.

After finishing up our breakfast we walked across the street where there were some hiking trails and a small playground. Baby M was in heaven. Piles of giant Sycamore leaves, interesting sticks, foot bridges, rocks to climb on... He was so enthralled with nature's playground that he didn't even notice the man-made plastic one a few yards away. The hiking paths are wide and flat, perfect for walking with toddlers and probably fine for most strollers too. Feeling extra ambitious we decided to walk up the hill to the observatory. The walk took about an hour and Baby M made it half way before asking my husband to carry him the rest of the way. The view from the observatory was amazing-- from snow capped mountains to Catalina Island and the city stretching out in every direction. After admiring the view, we went into the observatory. Surprisingly, Baby M really enjoyed looking at the exhibits and we even considered taking him to see the show in the planetarium. Unfortunately, kids under 5 are only admitted to the first show of the day (10:45am on weekends, 12:45pm during the week) and we had already missed it.

After thoroughly exploring the observatory we walked back down the hill and headed home. Baby M fell asleep in the car and took an unheard of two and a half hour nap. I guess we tired him out.