Issue link: https://fredparent.uberflip.com/i/100141
family chatter What to Do When They are Two By mary becelia A re the days ever longer, colder and damper than in winter? Does the time between waking up, nap time and bed time stretch ahead like a vast wasteland that you and your toddler have to cross, one painful step at a time? Not to sound too grim, but that is how it often felt for me, back when I had one little one at home and was still figuring out how to cope. Waking up at 6:00 am or so, my daughter Laura was full of energy, and her diaper was usually full of...well you know. Once I got her cleaned up and fed it was, by golly, all of 6:45 am! I���d distract her with toys while I gobbled down a few bites and got dressed. This would usually get us to about 7:00. If I did not have an outing or a play date or even a grocery store trip planned, I was staring down a long, dark corridor that led straight to CrazyTown. Somehow we survived because I am here typing this and Laura is now 10. This one is for you, parents of the 2-year-old and under set and the theme is: Survival! No matter what you may have planned for later in the day, 7:00 am is just too early for most activities except, drum roll, a trip to the store! Walmart was usually my destination of choice, not because I love it so dearly (come on, even if I did I would not admit it!), but because it is the closest big-box retailer to my home, and open 24 hours a day. 38 Fredericksburg Parent and Family ��� January 2013 Other things we did back in the day included: lunch at Chick-fil-A combined with playtime in their tunnels; lunch at McDonald���s combined with -- you got it -playtime in their tunnels; visits to Chuck E. Cheese and (do you see a theme here?) play in their tunnels. If Laura had been able to write back then, I think she could have come up with a fairly erudite comparison of area fast food venues and their tunnels! When we grew weary of this, we would often head to the library for story time. I highly recommend that you check out your closest library branch and attend story time as often as possible. It is free and very short, usually about 15-20 minutes which is just right for your wiggly companion. My strategy for getting through the post-nap part of the day was to head to the gym. I could drop Laura off in the nursery while I had a quick work out or -- truth be told -- sometimes hid in the ladies��� lounge and read a magazine! If you can join a gym, I highly recommend this strategy. Somehow you will get through the remainder of the winter with your toddler. When spring comes you will be ready to unleash them on the local parks, the pool and (best of all!) Music in the Park at Hurkamp Park each Tuesday in May and June. Good times await, trust me, and oddly enough the days seem much shorter, somehow, in the spring and summer time! Mary Becelia lives with her family in southern Stafford County.����