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Willfulness And Defiance At Nine Months Old |
My daughter is nine months old now. She's crawling, pulling
herself up and starting to cruise. She's starting to understand certain
words, like Mama and Dada and No. Today she crawled over to our old
VCR, which I haven't moved out of her reach yet. It's not plugged in -
and I'm hoping to use it as a learning tool for something that is not
hers to touch.
So today Grace touches the VCR. We've already told her no about
this item several times since she started crawling and she has shown a
child's understanding of what no must mean. Well today, I saw the first
sign of total understanding, sprinkled with the unmistakable
willfulness and the thrill of playful defiance. Yes, defiance - a key
building block in the DNA of all child and parent co-habitation.
Willfulness and Defiance from a nine month old. Hard to believe,
you say? Hear me out...Grace's hand is on the VCR, she has toys
of her own all around her mind you, but she's drawn this no-no item
like a moth to a flame. And as she touches it, I say no from the sofa,
eight feet away. She pauses, glances back in my general direction and
continues fingering the VCR. I say no again and get on the floor. She
sees this move and counters with the fastest about face pivot turn, on
all fours in the history of baby maneuvering. She's grinning to beat
the band, but make no mistake, she's retreating because she saw me
coming after her.
And so it begins.
She has no teeth. She has limited balance and range of movement.
But she's got her own agenda, a sense of humor and what appears to be a
burning passion for electronics. I love her. She's amazing. And most
importantly, she' becoming an individual.
Ted Lyde
Father Of Grace
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