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5 Lessons We Can Learn from a Toddler

You only live once. Why not make the most of it?

By Haley PetersonPublished 5 years ago 4 min read
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When someone says the word “toddler,” a few things might come to mind. Hysterical tantrums, constant messes no matter how many times you play “The Clean Up Song,” and small humans literally running around in circles. However, if you are a parent to a toddler, used to have a toddler, or have spent some time with a toddler, you know that they are very special people and that there is more to being a toddler than complete and utter chaos. While having two toddlers, a three-year-old boy and two-year-old girl, as well as a baby in the house does pose its challenges, the more time I spend with them, the more I realize one thing. Toddlers know how to live! In today’s society of constant activity and the never-ending list of things to do, I think we could all learn a few lessons from the toddler’s playbook.

1. Laugh more

Toddlers laugh... A LOT! They laugh at themselves. They laugh at the dog. They laugh when their favorite song comes on or their parents make a funny face. While playing "Hide and Seek," they laugh while they are hiding, when they are looking for someone else hiding, and they when someone is found. The more they laugh, the more I laugh, and laughing feels good.

2. Take naps

I know what you’re thinking. Do toddlers really nap? My sons fights naps every day and becomes a master negotiator while coming up with excuses to leave his room and put off his nap longer. However, a majority of the time, he will fall asleep. My daughter, on the other hand, is Sleeping Beauty and sleeps two to three hours a day without the negotiation (knock on wood). If I’m lucky, the baby will take a nap, giving me the opportunity to take a nap as well, and it is glorious. If you haven’t napped lately, I highly recommend it. I know you have 782 items left on your to-do list, but sometimes, taking time to rest should really be put above those items. Sure, you might feel a little guilty that the dishes aren’t done, but you might feel so reinvigorated after your nap that you have the energy to get even more accomplished when you wake up.

3. Ask for help

While toddlers love to discover their independence, they are not afraid to ask for help. Lately, my daughter’s catch phrase has been, “Me do it!” However, once she tries and realizes she needs help, she will ask. She doesn’t stress herself out trying to accomplish everything on her own like so many of us today. I know I have been guilty of trying to do everything myself when I really should have been asking for help. Whether you have something to do at home or at work, asking for help is a good idea and something we should all consider more often than we do.

4. Show your emotions

I’ll admit, toddlers take this one to another level. To my daughter, me giving her the wrong cup even though she chose that cup originally but now she has changed her mind is a catastrophe. How dare I give her the cup she picked and not know she wanted a different one? Last week, my son literally cried over spilled milk. While I don’t recommend screaming and carrying on over something so trivial, I think many of us suppress our true feelings too often. If you feel sad or mad, it’s okay to cry and tell someone why you feel that way.

As well as letting your loved ones know when you feel upset, don’t be afraid to let others know when you feel great! When it’s time to eat yogurt and watch Paw Patrol, my son is jumping up and down and laughing because he is so excited. When “Lick It Up,” comes on in the car, my daughter screams “Yeah, yeah,” and starts head banging (you can’t make this stuff up, folks). I know I can think of times when I was excited about something, especially as a teenager, and not try to look uncool or overly excited. If you’re happy and you know it, let others know it too! You only live once, right?

5. Be proud of yourself

When my son mastered singing the ABCs, he clapped his hands and said, “I did it!” and sang it over and over and over again. When my daughter poops on the potty, she yells, “Me pooped! Big poop!” It’s the little things, people. As we grow older, we master fewer new things, so sometimes, it might seem hard to feel proud of yourself sometimes. However, you should always find something to feel proud of yourself for. Maybe you got a promotion. Maybe you started exercising again. Maybe you made your kid laugh by reading her favorite book with an interesting accent. Whatever you did today, no matter how big or small, you should always find something to be proud of yourself for. You deserve it.

So there you have it. While toddlers may look like tiny, irrational creatures who create pandemonium everywhere they turn, maybe they really have it all figured out. Like I said, they can show you how to live and truly get the most out of every minute of the day.

children
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About the Creator

Haley Peterson

I am a full-time teacher turned stay at home mom, and I have been loving every minute of it!

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