We went to the park this afternoon after the girls got home from school. Miriam was most interested in playing with Zoë, which is usually fine. Sometimes, though, Miriam forgets that Zoë is a person, not a doll that can be cast aside on a whim. I spend most of my days harping at Benjamin about treating the baby kindly. This afternoon all that energy was focused on Miriam.
"Don't swing so high."
"She can't sit up on her own yet."
"Don't just leave her there."
"Sit down to hold her."
Yadda, yadda, yadda.
Zoë mostly had a fun time playing. Here she is showing off her little toothies:
Eventually I took Zoë out of the swing and sat with her on the steps while we watched the kids play. Miriam sat down beside me and asked if she could hold Zoë, so I handed her over and pulled out my cell phone, thinking it would be a good time to see how close Andrew was to being home.
Miriam started walking with the baby down the stairs.
"Careful," I said. "I don't want you tripping with the baby. I'd prefer if you just sat still and held her."
"I'm just going to the benches," Miriam said.
"Careful, careful," I said. "It looks like you're going to drop her. Just sit down and hold her, okay?"
"Okay," she said, sitting on the bench.
I returned my attention to my phone and pulled up Find a Friend. It always takes a second to locate Andrew; I was watching the status circle spin round and round when I heard a clunk followed by ear-piercing screams. My head snapped up to locate the sound.
There was Zoë, lying flat on her back at the top of the play structure!
"What is going on?!" I asked. "Why is the baby up there? Why is she lying down?"
"I...I...I dropped her," Miriam gulped, before she burst into tears.
"From where?!" I demanded.
"Just my lap!" Miriam wailed. "I was sitting down and she fell off my lap!"
"Rachel, hand me the baby," I demanded.
Rachel scooped her up and brought her to me. It took a few minutes to calm her down but soon Zoë was her happy, smiling self again. Miriam, on the other hand, pouted the whole walk home and all through dinner. She felt so bad! Even before my "she is a person, not a doll" lecture she felt bad.
But she shouldn't, really, because we needed a story to blame all of Zoë's future quirkiness on. Now that Miriam dropped her on her head as a baby, we're set!
"Don't swing so high."
"She can't sit up on her own yet."
"Don't just leave her there."
"Sit down to hold her."
Yadda, yadda, yadda.
Zoë mostly had a fun time playing. Here she is showing off her little toothies:
Eventually I took Zoë out of the swing and sat with her on the steps while we watched the kids play. Miriam sat down beside me and asked if she could hold Zoë, so I handed her over and pulled out my cell phone, thinking it would be a good time to see how close Andrew was to being home.
Miriam started walking with the baby down the stairs.
"Careful," I said. "I don't want you tripping with the baby. I'd prefer if you just sat still and held her."
"I'm just going to the benches," Miriam said.
"Careful, careful," I said. "It looks like you're going to drop her. Just sit down and hold her, okay?"
"Okay," she said, sitting on the bench.
I returned my attention to my phone and pulled up Find a Friend. It always takes a second to locate Andrew; I was watching the status circle spin round and round when I heard a clunk followed by ear-piercing screams. My head snapped up to locate the sound.
There was Zoë, lying flat on her back at the top of the play structure!
"What is going on?!" I asked. "Why is the baby up there? Why is she lying down?"
"I...I...I dropped her," Miriam gulped, before she burst into tears.
"From where?!" I demanded.
"Just my lap!" Miriam wailed. "I was sitting down and she fell off my lap!"
"Rachel, hand me the baby," I demanded.
Rachel scooped her up and brought her to me. It took a few minutes to calm her down but soon Zoë was her happy, smiling self again. Miriam, on the other hand, pouted the whole walk home and all through dinner. She felt so bad! Even before my "she is a person, not a doll" lecture she felt bad.
But she shouldn't, really, because we needed a story to blame all of Zoë's future quirkiness on. Now that Miriam dropped her on her head as a baby, we're set!
That happened to David, too. The guilty party was sitting on the bed holding him, and dropped him from off her lap. Only the bed was close to the wall, so in his fall, he bonked on the wall on his way to the floor. I think I may have overreacted in my lecture to the poor child who did it. I am sorry for the trauma she endured. I think David turned out okay despite that incident, though.
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