Babies A-Go-Go

I was saying to Josh today that it's hard to believe that there are 2 and 3 year-olds who can sit through a church service. Lola and the couple of other kids I watch in the toddler nursery on Sundays are unstoppable dynamos. The most effort I'll make to slow them down (rather than just leading frenetic play sessions) is to suggest that they stay seated for five more minutes after we've watched five minutes of Elmo and they are ready to run around with the toys again. I've heard that there are toddlers who are immediately and permanently mesmerized by toddler-TV. Not these kids. It feels strange to suggest that a child watch more TV, but I want them to get used to the idea of sitting still and concentrating. I'm sure their real teachers have much better techniques for encouraging concentration than I do. I've seen teachers at Lola's daycare "herd" the children into a tight group, and then gently police the crowd as a book is read. The peer pressure works pretty well! One caregiver on her own could never do it, though.--K