Dear Mom,

Two year olds are delightful for the main reason that you mentioned; they are most unpredictable. That makes life with these little ones fun, exciting, and adventurous. However for this very reason life with two years olds can be exhausting and quite a challenge. I am not surprised that your little one does not like to take naps or entertain himself. I would venture to guess that he is bright, inquisitive and very active. He is probably happy and talkative as well. Having only one sibling that is a ten year old sister, I would imagine that she throughly enjoys entertaining him and playing with him as well. This presents a greater challenge than the nature of a two year old. That is to say, your little two year old probably is a greater distraction for his sister because he makes the best excuse to leave school work sitting. I know that when our little granddaughter visits, nothing gets done. The girls are not able to focus upon their work at all.

My best suggestion would be to enforce a rule that your daughter must finish certain subjects on her own and in a timely fashion before she works with you. It is reasonable for you to introduce the material, then expect her to complete the work on her own away from the delightful distraction of little brother. Pick a time when you are going to be busy with his needs, and ask her to go to her room or another part of the house to work. The academic demands of a 10 year old are not nearly as intense as an older child and for this reason it is important to begin early to get her accustomed to working independently. Reserve the quiet one-on-one time for those subjects that require such attention. Allowing your two year old to watch a favorite video (make certain that the video only lasts for a short amount of time) should you need him to be out from under foot is perfectly okay as long as this privilege is reserved for those times when you need your daughter's full attention. Even two year olds have times during the day when they are perfectly content to putter with their toys. It is in these times that your daughter's schooling must be a priority. Having raised 10 two year olds myself I know that the temptation is great to just dash about the house quickly to do a few chores (a load of laundry, the dirty dishes, or sweeping) when they are quietly busy with a distraction. Two year olds can be headstrong and for this reason it is difficult to put off their demands. When a two year old tells you that he wants a drink or a snack there is no compromise in their little minds and they want what they want now.

Meeting the needs of a small child can become a struggle if it causes your daughter to leave her work. Remember you must teach her to stay focused on the task at hand despite your having to get up from the table and fill a sippy cup or prepare a snack. Imagine a classroom of 23 children. In that classroom there is a buzz of activity. The children who fare best are those who learn early on to concentrate on their tasks and to discipline themselves to block out the distractions that are a normal part of the classroom environment. Certainly there is a limit to what you can expect from your daughter as she is quite young herself but with a little practice and patience she will do nicely.

I sense that you are a patient mommy who more than understands the nature of the challenges that you are facing. I admire you very much and would enjoy watching you lovingly handle these pleasant challenges. I am always eager to learn more about different methods of child rearing. Please continue in your endeavors and praise God for such a blessing as a two year old.

Let us pray together a Hail Mary for all those mothers that do not see the joy of young children. Let us pray that these mothers will find others in their life that will mentor them and teach them patiently about the nature of very young children. We pray that they will see that the stimulation and activity borne of a natural curiosity is a joy to witness and the fruit of learning.

Sending out a prayer,

Rita Munn