The other day, Josh woke up and went to the front room looking for something. When he came back, he was a bit upset and asked where the babies were. (He always speaks of the baby in plural because he doesn't want to have to share "his" baby with Emily.) I told him they were in the toy box, thinking he was talking about the dolls. When he came back, he was still upset and let me know he was looking for the "real" baby. At which point, I had to inform him that the baby was still in my belly. His response?
"Why did you put the babies back?"
It took a while (several days) for him to understand that the baby had never come out and that it will be awhile before it does.
I came up with a solution. I thought maybe something visual might help him understand how very long it will be until the baby is supposed to "come out." So we made a paper chain with dates and a count down written on them so we'd be able to see how long of a wait we had. Kind of depressing when I look at it... it's sooooo long! :)
The day we made it and put it up, we still had 172 days to go. Wow, that was a lot of links to make. But it was definitely worth it. Josh and Emily both love to have their turn to tear a link off the chain at the end of the day. Now when Josh asks about the "babies" I can remind him of this chain and he realizes it will be some time.
"Why did you put the babies back?"
It took a while (several days) for him to understand that the baby had never come out and that it will be awhile before it does.
I came up with a solution. I thought maybe something visual might help him understand how very long it will be until the baby is supposed to "come out." So we made a paper chain with dates and a count down written on them so we'd be able to see how long of a wait we had. Kind of depressing when I look at it... it's sooooo long! :)
The day we made it and put it up, we still had 172 days to go. Wow, that was a lot of links to make. But it was definitely worth it. Josh and Emily both love to have their turn to tear a link off the chain at the end of the day. Now when Josh asks about the "babies" I can remind him of this chain and he realizes it will be some time.
4 comments:
LOVE the chain idea!! Looks long but the little one will be here before you know it! :)
What a creative way to get them involved and to solve the seemingly never ending question of when. Let's hope the baby is not as late as our little Rachel - they will have to start adding links if that happens :- )
Do you think that maybe he had a dream that the baby(ies) had already come? Maybe that's why he was confused and upset when you "put them back." Does he understand the concept of dreaming? And could he explain it to you if he did? Josh is a sharp boy, so I wouldn't be surprised if he did know the difference. But even adults sometimes are a bit disoriented from dreams, especially if we wake up suddenly.
Great idea with the chain. I'll be keeping that one in my head for the possibility that I might one day have children.
KC
What a clever idea -Go you!
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