Yesterday I took my daughter to the dentist, and overheard two mothers, each with a two-year-old, bemoaning the “terrible twos.” I watched the mothers and children over the course of an hour or so as we waited to see the dentist, and couldn’t help but notice that the mothers hadn’t planned to engage their children during the time in the waiting room. Neither had brought toys, crayons, books or anything to do with their children in the waiting room (which was earning its name). Instead they were constantly correcting the two-year-olds who were perpetually looking for something to do, and complaining to one another about the challenges of parenting at this “terrible” stage.
It struck me that a very small change in their parenting habits would make an immense difference in the frustration that they and their children felt. If each had a brought bag with one age-appropriate book, a toy and an activity (like a coloring book), the children would have played happily, and the mothers could have spent the hour talking about how rich this stage of childhood is.
It struck me that these were not terrible parents. They weren’t yelling at their kids or shaming them. However, their lack of planning made their experience of the two-year-old year terrible, and set a precedent of frustration for years to come.
Through tumblon, we aim to make it easy for parents to appropriately engage their children at each stage with recommended books, toys, tips and activities keyed to the child’s age. In less than one minute, parents can browse the kinds of things that will enthrall their children - and make time in waiting rooms fun instead of frustrating. If it catches on, the “terrible twos” might just lose that epithet.
