Stream of Consciousness Sunday: STAGES not Ages

Here is my 5 minute brain dump as part of this great series. This week BiP and I got out and met some other babies and toddlers in Provence.

stream-of-consciousness-sunday

Start the clock!

Following last week’s SOCS post I decided that we needed to throw ourselves out there on the mummy and baby circuit in Provence.  A quick mindset change and there we were surrounded by lots of babies and their mummy’s!  I often stall when it comes to these situations for fear of sounding like a complete idiot with my terrible French but we did it and it was fun.

Having spent a lot of BiP’s 13m being surrounded by people who are much older or childless it’s hard to gauge what stage BiP is at. I am no soccer mom – well I hope not! I am however, fiercely proud when I see BiP doing something that is clearly early for her age but I am also quick to admit the milestones she’s not reached yet.

This week I encountered a number of 13m old babies – some were talking, like saying real words that you could understand! I was amazed – BiP “mooed” and called everything a “cat” – she is clearly not talking yet. BiP is concentrating on her walking stage and she does it well. Other babies of the same age have no interest in walking just yet and instead master the art of expanding their vocabulary.  I guess it has irked me somewhat after BiP’s 12m appointment with the pediatrician who seemed to question, repeatedly, if BiP was pointing at things. No, she isn’t and she still isn’t. In my mind it’s rude to point! Like any first time parent I struggled momentarily with the fact that she wasn’t meeting an “important” milestone and then I rejected it – especially as she smashed some of the milestones, was on track for some and was subjectively behind on other!

It really is about stages not AGES – NO child can seriously be textbook. Now, repeat the mantra!

What do you think?

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This was my first 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

  • Set a timer and write for 5 minutes only.
  • Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spellchecking. This is writing in the raw.
  • Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.
  • Add the Stream of Consciousness Sunday badge to your post.
  • Link up your post at all.things.fadra.
  • Visit your fellow bloggers and show some love.

 

9 thoughts on “Stream of Consciousness Sunday: STAGES not Ages

  1. Karen

    Matthew is working hard on walking, and has lost all interest in words/talking (he does do a mean lion roar, kitty miaow and duck quack though!) When I compare him to babies his age he’s excelling in some stuff (he can do a basic shape sorted puzzle, easily, he can point to things if you ask him ie “where’s the cat? “Where’s the car?” Which is something a lot of his little friends aren’t doing, and is very very good with his hands, and has good hand eye co ordination, but his “vocab and speech” are not so “strong” but I know he’s doing fine, and he’ll work out his speech when he’s worked out other things he’s concentrating on.

    Reply
    1. mummyinprovence Post author

      You hit the nail on the head Karen! He is concentrating on what is important NOW. The rest will come and who cares if its a few weeks “behind” … I have yet to meet ANY child who was exactly spot on ALL the milestones at the same time!

      Reply
  2. Janine

    Sebastian stopped babbling at all while he was learning to crawl and the instant he mastered crawling he started saying his couple ‘words’ again. They really do concentrate on one at a time. Sebastian is also “behind” on some milestones but then ahead on others. I think as mamas we would know if our baby was behind and something was not right.

    Love these stream of consciousness posts!

    Reply
    1. Julie Jordan Scott

      ohhh, how baby hungry I am!! My youngest just turned 10 and I am wayyyy too old to have another baby but ohhh, how I miss it. I enjoy hearing baby stories still… and love hearing about Mama worries.

      And the Mama worries don’t go away. I think I tend to focus on where my little ones shine rather than where they are “ordinary” or “gasp-behind!” and brava for the non-pointing. LOL

      Reply
      1. mummyinprovence Post author

        Thanks for reminding me that this will NEVER stop … the constant comparison is something I hate but oh so unavoidable! Thanks for stopping by!

        Reply
    2. mummyinprovence Post author

      Thanks Janine! Yes, I think they focus on one skill and abandon the other until they have mastered the one they are most interested in! I totally agree with relying on instinct too. How is little Zeb doing?

      Reply
      1. Janine

        Thank you for asking! He is doing great – Wasn’t as bad as it looked and should heal in about a week.

        Reply
  3. Martra

    Its not even just about textbook milestones I feel like moms are always comparing their kids. My son walked at 10 months old, well my daughter said her first sentence at 13 months old. We don’t need this kind of competition! We all just want the best for our baby and being measured against other children and the textbook age/stage isn’t necessarily the path that’s best for our child!

    Obviously if there are severe developmental delays I think that’s when doctors should intervene with a physical or speech therapist, but not at this point when they’re so young!

    Reply
    1. mummyinprovence Post author

      I totally agree! We all love to see our child doing great things but the competition can be hard – I don’t even know that many other babies so I can only imagine what it must be like in groups with lots of babies who are the same age!

      I’m cool with letting BiP figure things out when she is good and ready!

      Reply

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