Kiddie See Kiddie Do

Ever since our little guy has made the jump from a baby to a toddler (which was about 5 months ago Mashallah) he has refused to do anything baby like! He has a new found Independence and he refuses to compromise at any cost. He insist on doing things the hard way. It's as if he has something to prove to himself- or maybe to us.

He has been trying to imitate the sounds, words and actions that the adults in the house use. He takes an interest when I am in the kitchen; he wants to be able to peek over the counter and see what I am doing. He wants to try and open the faucet himself when its bath time. He wants his own prayer mat when we are ready to pray, Subhanallah it truly is amazing.

However, with that being said, as parents we have to be so much more aware around our children. Aware of our behaviour, language and over all energy. I would not go as far to say that all of the parents behavior can be fully downloaded onto the child, but I will say it EASILY has an effect on the child.

What are some tips/words of wisdom and advice you can share with all of us about enriching our children's lives with positive vibes and energy? How do we involve our children in our daily activities without being bothered by them? For example, if the child keeps pulling out the pots and pans from under the kitchen sink, how do change this into productive and learning play, rather than saying "no" constantly?

We have to understand the long term effects of shutting our children out from our day to day activities, even if it is a simple as, a child constantly wanting to play with her mothers purse. How do you solve that dilemma?

I am really eager to start discussion and hear your thoughts on this!

Here are some pictures of Zakariya at his grandparents home. These are a few *small* examples of how we have allowed Independence in a safe and secure way.... Alhumdulillah and it is working really well for us. Just remember, a little goes a long way and you may be surprised at how well your child adapts to some freedom and things that are sometimes out of routine (like using the adult table to eat instead of the high chair for a change, without allowing fear to stop you from influencing that decision)

Always trying to use Baba's briefcase, so we finally got Zaki one that was just his size!

Baba copying Zaki with his cool new bag

"Reading" on his kiddie table

"Reading" on the adult table