I’m now on week four of unemployment, and while I have the itch to get back to work ASAP, I feel like I’m getting into a routine for the most part. Sure, I still haven’t learned to clean up as well as I would like (and as well as my wife would like I’m sure), but I think I have the fun and educational stuff down. Lily is napping right now, so I wanted to put up a little blog before I start picking up. Yesterday, I spent her entire nap time applying for jobs and writing cover letters. So today, I thought the ole blog needed some attention. In the coming days, expect some posts about cooking (I did some awesome cooking last week that only my iPhone camera, my wife, Lily, and I know about), weight loss (I’m back on the wagon and seeing results), and writing (I have a new found motivation, now I just need to find the time…plus NaNoWriMo is coming up!). Today though, I wanted to touch briefly on one of the things Lily and I have done recently: Baby playtime at the public library!
Lily and I have been three times, all with varying success. I will say that after three times, it is more fun for the parent if you go when you know another parent who is going. Lily and I went today without a friend and it just didn’t feel right. In fact, today’s trip wasn’t as fun and successful as I hoped, but Lily still had fun and we’re looking forward to going back again soon.
The playtimes at the Ann Arbor libraries consist of about 15 minutes of song and dance (which Lily loves the most), then 45 minutes of play. Our libraries have some great toys and activities. I know I always complain that I never really see my tax dollars at work, but the library programming is well worth it! Usually, Lily runs around like a wild animal and has an absolute blast (in fact, two weeks ago, she escaped the play room and ran half way through the library with little ole me chasing along). Today felt different though. Thinking back on it, I really think it had to do with quantity of children. This was the biggest group of the three playtimes we’ve been at, and I think Lily was simply overwhelmed. She essentially shied away from all the kids and played on her own, which is a bummer because I bring her to these activities mainly for socialization. If any of my readers have any ideas on less imposing socialization activities, drop me an e-mail or a comment.
The reason I called this blog “Infiltrating” is because as a stay-at-home Dad, I feel like I’m in the minority when it comes to these play groups. It is slightly overwhelming, but so far the group of mothers who attend the playtimes seem very welcoming and accommodating. They don’t necessarily strike up conversations with me or anything, but I don’t get dirty looks that question why I’m there, which is nice. We all share one thing in common and that’s our love for our children. I may still look like a fish out of water at times, but I’ll be a playtime pro in no time. Now, all I need to do is learn those damn songs so I can stop faking like I’m singing along.
Oh, two more coming attractions for future blog posts.
1) Lily and I checked out some potty training books, so you know what that means!
2) We’re coming pretty close to October, which is one of my favorite months. As a huge fan of Halloween, horror, and things that go bump in the night, I’m going to start featuring my picks and the like on this blog for a fright-filled October!
Large groups of children are intimidating to all but the most confident and outgoing of little ones. Lily’s reaction today was typical of what I used to see when I had a 15-20 child story hour. Smaller groups are so much nicer. I guess you could check out books on how to do story hour for toddlers and invite your friends over? Then you would be Mr Dane the teacher!!! Yay!!!
That’s not a bad idea. Recommend any books for that?
Dane, we always liked the story time at the Ypsilanti library on Michigan Avenue. Often only 6-8 kids, though I don’t know how it is these days. (Story time at the main Ypsi library is always crowded, though.)
I never even thought of checking out the Ypsi library…I definitely will though!
Part of my desire to have a child is to infiltrate groups like that (you know, being a “socialist” and all) and insert some liberal values into story time. Mary had a little lamb, huh? Maybe Mary could have joined a co-op and had SEVERAL little lambs. Stuff like that.
So far, we’ve only been reading Eric Carle books and singing songs….then the kids are unleashed to wreak havoc all around the playroom.
(Oops, that Ypsi library comment was from me. Not sure why it made me anonymous.)
When my daughter was 2, we moved to a new town in upstate New York where we didn’t know anyone with children close to my daughter’s age. Story time at the library was a big help. We also joined a “mom and tot” swim class at the local Y, and I found an excellent day care and enrolled my daughter for 2 mornings a week (although I was a stay-at-home mom and had no real need for day-care). I, too, felt socialization with peers was very important.
The local historical society also offered “workshops” for children during school breaks (although these were for older children, keep it in mind. My daughter started attending once she started kindergarten). They would have activities for the children such as making kites from newspaper, popsicle stick boxes, weaving baskets, etc. The best one was the time they brought in an archaeologist who gave them boxes of dirt. They learned to mark the grid with string, and using little trowels and brushes, excavated their “pot shards” (regular terracotta planters broken up) and “reconstructed” them with glue. She was going to be an archaeologist for months after that one!
As for potty training, I highly recommend “Toilet Training in Less Than a Day” by Nathan Azrin. Although I will not say the title is accurate (it was more like a week…), it had some excellent advice. One thing I remember was including your child’s favorite fictional/cartoon characters in the process. It’s one thing to tell them that everyone pees in the potty…. Mommy pees in the potty, Daddy pees in the potty… but the second I told her that Mickey Mouse pees in the potty, she looked up and said “Mickey Mouse, too?!” “Yep.” Well, if it’s good enough for Mickey Mouse, she wasn’t gonna argue with that… Another thing I liked about the book was its emphasis on knowing if your child is ready for potty training. If they are ready, it’s a piece of cake. If they’re not, what to work on first to GET them ready. I liked that attitude. Good luck!
(ps. the daughter of whom I speak was, until recently, manager of our local Borders bookstore – and how I found your blog. So all this info is not from a new mom, but an old one. She turned out pretty great, though, if I do say so myself…..)
Great to hear from you. Thanks for all the tips and recommendations. I’ll definitely check out Azrin’s book. The book we checked out from the library has a similar title. I highly doubt this one day thing though. I’ll be fine with a week!
Her favorite characters are Olivia from the Ian Falconer books and Elmo, so I will definitely incorporate them. Great idea!
Great to see more Borders alumni are finding the blog. Wish her well for me as we all look towards our next great adventure!