I’ve come to realize that toddlers are incredibly spontaneous in what they say. You can’t treat their words like a binding contract. Kids’ thoughts change constantly, and parents need to stay flexible
Hello Yingying, I'm composing a post on this very idea of saying something we may not mean... and a time and place a group of people refused to admit they do this. What this post of yours makes me wonder is if the toddler's desire isn't actually the "thing" demanded but a test of how tractable the parents are to the child's demands. As our cats have taught us, rather than their being our pets, it is far more obvious that we are their servants.
I think sometimes toddlers do genuinely want specific things, and other times there might be some boundary-testing going on, but I really doubt they have that level of strategic thinking at this age - that seems more like behavior that develops as they get older. Based on what I’ve observed with my girl, I think she’s just very easily distracted and her focus shifts so quickly from one thing to another. She’s not really fixated on anything unless she really, really wants it, so most of the time it’s probably just their naturally scattered attention rather than calculated testing. The cat comparison made me laugh! 😄
Hello Yingying, I'm composing a post on this very idea of saying something we may not mean... and a time and place a group of people refused to admit they do this. What this post of yours makes me wonder is if the toddler's desire isn't actually the "thing" demanded but a test of how tractable the parents are to the child's demands. As our cats have taught us, rather than their being our pets, it is far more obvious that we are their servants.
I think sometimes toddlers do genuinely want specific things, and other times there might be some boundary-testing going on, but I really doubt they have that level of strategic thinking at this age - that seems more like behavior that develops as they get older. Based on what I’ve observed with my girl, I think she’s just very easily distracted and her focus shifts so quickly from one thing to another. She’s not really fixated on anything unless she really, really wants it, so most of the time it’s probably just their naturally scattered attention rather than calculated testing. The cat comparison made me laugh! 😄
Having lived with more pets than children, I appreciate your insider's insight. "Me...ow." uh oh, gotta go, I'm being beckoned for treats.