Tending Toddlers
Posted by Lisa Hendey in Family on Thursday, October 09, 2008 8:26 AM
This weekend at the Notre Dame football game, I took a stroll down memory lane.
In attendance with our family at the game were my sister Erin, her husband David, and my two nephews Evan (4) and Tyler (2). Erin’s boys are angels, practically perfect in every way! In addition, they are “all boy” like mine were - which translates into constant busyness and lots of physicality.
I’ve forgotten the special treat of keeping little ones entertained for long hours in cramped situations when all they really want to do is get up and run around. The boys were thrilled to be at their first “real” football game in the company of their “big boy cousins”. We were lucky to have seats on the end of two rows, four in front and four behind.
Erin wisely packed sunscreen, water, juice pouches, snacks and books. The boys were entranced by the band and all of the pageantry of the day and did a great job of staying within the confines of our eight seats and not alienating our neighbors in the process.
But preschoolers aren’t necessarily wired to be entertained by football for longer than fifteen minutes. So there were trips to the bathroom, snack runs, walks around the outside of the seating area, and lots of passing them around.
There was singing, cheering, yelling, and even a bit of crying.
What didn’t occur was lost tempers, which is a testament to my sister and her husband, and their patience level. I remember having my own boys in similar situations and thinking “Why am I even trying to do this?”
The answer to that unspoken question was clear in this situation. A memory was made, not just for her boys (who probably won’t remember their first Notre Dame game), but for the rest of us. Having this time together as a family is precious and rare - our homes are separated by two thousand miles and we only get together once or twice a year.
So this time of togetherness was wonderful. I was able to sit with Evan on my lap for the larger part of an hour, weaving stories into his ear about a boy named Evan and a horse named “Domer” with mythical, field goal kicking powers. Evan will sit and listen to a story for hours if you let him, and luckily Auntie Lisa has a great imagination.
When it was my turn to hold Tyler, the terrific two year old, I could sense his growing weariness. I began softly singing “The Wheels on the Bus” in his little ear, rhythmically rocking him to the tune. Once we’d exhausted all of the typical verses containing the driver, the windows and the horn, we began to insert family names and actions into the verses. After approximately 60 verses of “Wheels”, Tyler was sound asleep for an entire half of the game.
What a precious memory was made for me on Saturday - the joy of spending this day in the company of my nephews.
We likely won’t remember the score of the game or who played in a few years, but I’m definitely going to remember this special time with two precious young ones!
When you find yourself with preschoolers in situations that may not be amenable to their preferences, what do you to make them more comfortable and enjoy yourself in the process?
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