If I’ve learned anything from my dad, it’s that things don’t always go to plan. Being able to bend with the road in front of you is one the most useful skills you can learn.
A long serving Scout Leader and a problem solver at heart, if ever he is faced with a challenge, his first thought is usually about changing, adapting or altering the plan so that the end goal can still be achieved. I’ve seen it put into practise plenty of times throughout our family’s long scouting history, and it rarely fails.
My end goal over this summer break has been to keep Noah happy and entertained. I kitted out the garden, made lots of social plans for days out with friends, and taken him on lots of walks, which he’s really enjoyed, but it’s not been enough. At home, he is still under stimulated, and now that daddy is back and working from home, all Noah would like to do is sneak back up the stairs to visit him.
No matter how much I try to bring him back down, it’s become a game for Noah to keep scampering up there as fast as he possibly can. So, channelling my dad, I had to change, adapt, and alter the plan.
I closed all of the doors on the landing tight, made it as dark as possible, then set up his bean bag, talking play mat, and as many sensory toys that light up as I could. I gave him something to do up there other than distract daddy while he’s trying to talk to people.
The next time Noah snuck upstairs at a speed only comparable to Usain Bolt, mummy didn’t react. I didn’t play the game.
Instead I heard “oh!” as he got to the top of the stairs. Promptly followed by a flump as he threw himself into his bean bag with his tablet.
It worked!… (for now). So far he’s spent the last two days hanging out up there for a couple of hours at a time, only reappearing when he wants some help with his tablet or to ask for a drink to take back up. Granted at the moment, we are having some teething problems with Noah trying to incorporate the bathroom into his play space, and with the occasional fit of bouncy-ness that rattles the whole house, but for the most part, he’s happy.
He is entertained…it’s not what I anticipated it would look like, but the goal has been achieved, until he gets bored of that too!
Then it will be time again, to: Change. Adapt. Alter.
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