Somehow I also taught her to wave at him every time she sees him. I guess it's because we greet and part from him many times during a day and I usually wave during those times. It's cute.
A few weeks ago I turned on the TV. Gasp, you turned on the TV and let your one-year old watch... Yes, yes I did. I love TV. I see it as a tool that can be used for good or ill, in moderation or excess. And I let my daughter play with my smart phone (don't worry, I do disinfect it with alcohol wipes regularly), but I'm not overly concerned in light of recent "studies" (yes, that was a purposeful quote with a hint of sarcasm) about screen time and kids.
Look, I get it. Kids aren't getting enough activity. Parents are ignoring their children. TV is not a babysitter. Kids spend too much time on phones. ETC. I understand it all, but I play with my daughter all day long. She doesn't zone out in front of a TV for too long. And for that matter, I don't find TV evil. She loves the Baby First channel and Disney Junior, the latter of the two is easier for me to stomach but the former is her absolute favorite.
Anyway, I got off on a tangent and will leave that debate for another time. Actually the point of all of this jargon is to tell a story.
So, one Saturday morning I turned on the TV and a show called "Wildlife Docs" was on. There was a tiger cub featured on the show and Naomi brightened. I kept pointing and squealing and she kept pointing and squealing. Tears of delight might have been shed, just saying. Do you know how cute Tiger cubs are?
So, I was like, hey this is a great teaching opportunity. The funny this is that right before I turned on the TV, Naomi had selected this very book off the shelf.
So, I started pointing and giggling at the cute Tiger cub on the cover of the book and hoped that she would connect the dots between the Tiger cub on TV and the book. She did. Babies are smart like that.
During commercial break, I opened the book and showed her the Tiger inside too. She thought it was awesome and petted the Tiger cub's back.
And then the show came back on and they showed how the cub grew to become a big tiger. All the while Naomi squealed and pointed and smiled.
And I was like, yup I'm an awesome mom. Then in my haughty pride I relayed to myself in my mind how great technology is and how we shouldn't be scared to use it as a tool and if we interact with our children, loving and teaching them, we can use these tools for good.
The end.
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