Thoughts on Kids

Elliott woke up early from his nap so he plays with Emarie in the playroom with the door closed. When I say play, I mean crying while pounding on the door and yelling "DAAAADDY!!!!" Caleb isn't amused by this as he reads his Ted Decker book while lounging on the couch. We have noticed that our children are very needy when Caleb is home. They want constant attention and entertainment. We don't believe that we should ignore them while tinkering on weekend to-do lists but I do think they need to learn to entertain themselves a bit when daddy is home. After having some kids, I have learned that children need to be taught and guided to play alone. I know moms that start this very early with playpens or gates and set a timer while their child plays without mom and dad. I feel like I haven't trained enough in this area. Does anyone out there have some wisdom to share??