Accessory Tuesday: City Moon Diamond Necklace

Happy Tuesday! How much do you talk to your baby or young toddler? I (and we) have always talked to my baby and now 13 month old a whole lot. Sure, I narrated what I was doing when she was really little, but I am talking about just talking to her as a proper member of our family, telling her things, asking her questions, singing to her randomly, etc.

We were in Whole Foods yesterday, which is packed with babies and young children here, ha ha, and it occurred to me we were the only parents of children really involving our baby in what we are buying, what we plan to cook with it and so on. I kind of started to feel self-conscious. Like, why is no one else doing this and am I being weird? I don’t know, but that was my thought process.

How much do you ladies talk to your pre-talking young babies and toddlers? Dis you ever feel weird doing so in public?

My kids are glued to me, and I need help unsticking. I have an almost 4-year old and a 20-month old. Both are content around only DH, but become jealous and clingy around me. I work a big job that consumes a lot of my time and mental energy (as does DH), so I try to be fully present and engaged with my kids in the little time we have during the weekdays in particular.It makes me sad, like I’m rejecting my kids, when I ignore their invitations to play. But It’s become really difficult to hang out as a family because of this dynamic, and I never get time off. The kids even bang on the bathroom door when I go! For another example, both kids will happily play a mix of independently, together, and with DH while they’re in the yard. The second I step outside, both are whining for my attention. I try to play with both simultaneously or make clear that I will give each a turn, but the 20-month old in particular can’t understand that. (There’s no option where I am not actively engaging either.). I feel like my DH kinda shrugs in response, leaving me feeling bombarded and outnumbered. For example, I’ll push 4-year old on the swing, and 20-month old will scream clinging my legs for me to pick her up. I can’t just ignore her and let her learn it’s brother’s turn because she will get hit by the swing. So DH will scoop her up and tell her it’s not her turn. She’ll continue crying, so within a few minutes he gives up trying or brings her inside. Bringing her inside means she never learns to be around me without being glued to me. My own style with unwanted behavior generally is to divert her to something else—convince her that something else is actually more fun. I suspect this reinforces me as her preferred parent because I’m frequently trying to get her attention to do something fun. I’m not sure how to break out of this pattern. DH is a very engaged dad, fwiw. We split nearly every parenting duty. Any advice?