captain_slinky: (Default)
captain_slinky ([personal profile] captain_slinky) wrote2009-08-30 01:34 am

Bonding

Forcing my kid to bond with her Grandmother from Ohio by actively avoiding Molly-Daddy interaction is difficult, but well worth it :)

Over the last month-and-a-half or so, I've come to realize that I'm... Different. From 98% of all other parents I know. MOST parents I know are regular adult human beings who crave "Me Time" and NEED somebody to takeover watching The Kid/Kids at least once a week so they can unwind, or get stuff done, or go shopping, or whatever.

Me, I LOVE taking Molly places and doing stuff with her! I build my entire day, every day, around what she wants to do :) Unfortunately, this doesn't lead to a lot of "Social" time for her. She prefers deserted playgrounds over active ones full of kids. She'd rather stay here and ride her bike with me than go to a Playland.

I worry that this is just me projecting my own anti-social tendencies on her, or if she's really that much of a loner. I try to give her all the options for a day... offer her lots of social trips like active parks and such... but she always chooses intimate "Daddy Molly" activities.

And I think I might like those Molly-Daddy activities too much for her own good :(

[identity profile] captain-slinky.livejournal.com 2009-08-30 08:35 pm (UTC)(link)
That's awesome :) Thanks!

That's pretty much how I approach it, but Crystal... Crystal was one of those kids who (a) had 3 brothers and (b) had 7 billion cousins all living in the same town as her growing up. SHe kinda freaks that Molly isn't getting to interact with kids, is afeared that I'm doing something terrible to her social development. And her fear bleeds over in to me whenever she mentions it.

I was an Only Child, I didn't need "Play Dates", I developed into QUITE the little social fellow :)

[identity profile] thecookielady.livejournal.com 2009-08-30 08:44 pm (UTC)(link)
I know everyone's heard it before... But the one thing that I'm glad we did at for Kaiti was get involved in Girl Scouts. She was able to get the socialization she needed with kids her own age and it really helped a lot with getting her out from under my wing.

Because I stepped up and became a leader, I think it was easier for her. I was still there, I was still available.. But she was able to branch out a bit while still feeling safe with mom.

Now, I'm not saying go start your own troop... although if you got in with the right co-leader, you'd have a BLAST, and so would the girls. But Molly is almost Daisy age (the lowest level of GS) and it would be a way for her to be social, do things she likes to do, and still allow you to be there and be doing things with her.

Take it from me, parents who are involved in their troop and willing to help out and be there for the girls are few and far between.. They'd LOVE you :)

[identity profile] captain-slinky.livejournal.com 2009-08-30 10:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Plus, I look AWESOME in the Girl Scout uniform!

[identity profile] thecookielady.livejournal.com 2009-08-30 10:31 pm (UTC)(link)
That is quite possibly more information than I needed to know. But thanks for the visual... I must now share it with my family :)