"Don't worry Mummy"

For the last few weeks I've had a few ups and downs, mostly revolving around behaviour: mine, my daughter's, other people. Reflecting back over now, the comment my daughter made to me today says it all (see title). It happened after I was trying to explain (yes, to an almost 3 year old - what was I thinking?), that I was upset that we couldn't get her haircut because she didn't want to when we got there (after a struggle to get there in the first place). From now on, I'm going to try and not worry as much. I said try.

Mini me

I think this photo says it all really, but this is an update to a blog I wrote a while ago, describing that "they do what you do" and to take this and apply it wherever.

Working out boundaries is hard work

For my own reasons, I've wanted to avoid introducing any discipline to Abigail as she progresses through her baby and toddler years, while she's beginning to figure out her place in the world and how she fits in amongst those around her. I expect her to be focussed on her own needs above anybody else's, so understand that she doesn't understand concepts of sharing, for example. This is mostly because of the introduction to child development during my first degree, e.g., the developmental stages from Freud's Id to Ego then Super-Ego (see also). I don't want to set adult expectations on a small child - although I recognise the need for boundaries, I want to do it in a sensitive manner. My focus (in case you hadn't guessed already) is on wanting her to feel secure and loved, but am now unsure about how to keep that up alongside managing her ever more noticeable (and normal) unruly toddler behaviour, as my techniques so far are not always sufficient.