Spills & Mess

I probably give a few hundred instructions to my toddler everyday. Get up, brush your teeth, eat properly, wear your clothes, don’t shout, say thank you… the list is endless! Of course if she makes a mess or does something wrong, then she gets a hamper full of scolding and instructions on how not to repeat it again.

Few days back, as I was hurriedly trying to finish off making dinner, I spilled some beans all over the kitchen floor. Silently cursing myself, I was contemplating whether to put off the cleanup for a later time. But they say, ‘As you sow, so shall you reap’. Looking at the spilled beans my daughter went off on a scolding spree…telling me how it was wrong to spill and how I should cleanup immediately! She was a total reflection of me…when I am upset with her!

Funny as it was, the incident was an eye opener for me. Spills and making mess, although frustrating for us are probably the most fun for toddlers. I mean, how can we expect the tiny hands to be as dexterous as an adult? Sometimes, gravity which is so obvious to us can be intriguing for toddlers. Sometimes, the sole purpose is seeking attention while at others it is a way of expressing distress.

Long story short, from that day onwards…spills were never the same at our home!