Everyone has a climber at one point or another. You can see the happiness in their eyes as they finally manage to get on the couch by themselves and you get excited for yourself! Yay, no more helping them on every other minute. I will note some moms get sad because they feel their little ones are growing to fast. For the most part though, I can imagine everyone goes through that moment of happiness, excitement and almost pride. Yes! You did it little one, you are now a independent couch sitter. Like with every milestone/achievement though, the better they become at something, the more work it means for the parent. Maybe your little one no longer needs help “up” but until they manage down you’re just as important in their little adventures. Most importantly, you quickly realize that excitement you felt has now become cringing moments as you watch them climb the stools, the tables, and anything else that comes their way. You ask parents of older kids and they say… it’s just a phase you have to survive and if the stress and anxiety don’t kill ya, then soon enough pee wee will get bored and you’ll both move on to greater and more exciting feats. So then you just hope that day comes sooner rather than later, for your sake and theirs.
We have a climber…and we’re not sure this phase is going away. Also, it might be my fault and for sure there’s some of dad’s fault - genetics, genetics, genetics. If Chiara’s love for climbing has taught me anything is: embrace nature and nurture by example. Chiara started climbing at a very early age..surprise surprise like everything else she got it in her mind, practiced for endless hours, and she won’t stop until she reaches the top of the world.
This is Kiki at 7-8mo right before she started walking...but of course before she could walk, she was climbing
We all know Justin’s an athlete, we’ve all heard crazy stories of his active energetic childhood. Climbing all things danger, running away in crowded malls, and a mischievous little laugh that both amused and terrified anyone trusted with watching him. One of my favourite stories goes like this:
“ My sister came to visit from out of town. We were in the kitchen preparing a snack when all of the sudden we realized Justin was too quiet. We ran around the house, calling his name and looking for him in, on top, below everything.. couldn’t find him. When we finally walked into his room, terrified of what we would find, we hear a little snicker coming from behind all the stuffed animals ON TOP of the bookcase/dresser… by the window - needless to say, a very scary moment turned cute/funny and lesson learned”
“I come home and the babysitter tells me she left Justin in the playpen while preparing a snack, when she suddenly feels something by her feet. Sure enough Justin was there, giggling and exploring the kitchen. Shocked and impressed she puts him back in the playpen and walks away silently. As she pretends to cook she watches him sneaking out again. No more than 10mo old, baby Justin pulls himself up and launches his body over the playpen walls”
That Mischievous smile that tells you she's up to no good, she knows it, yet she's proud of herself.
Should have known she would be trouble… oh wait, I did and people got offended when I predicted the such. The thing is, I was the same way. My mom doesn’t have as many horror stories because despite my madness I was obedient. But I have a good memory. I remember the excitement of climbing to the roof tops of playground houses (and real houses, sorry mom). I'll never forget the afternoons sitting on my friend’s balcony drinking mate, not a balcony with furniture, we sat on the wall of the balcony legs hanging over the edge. I remember we would climb trees around the neighbourhood and eat fruit while sitting high above the ground. I always wanted the top bunk, I dreamt of having a tree house and of course my best event in gymnastics, was the uneven bars, where I felt I was flying on top of the world. I loved all things rollercoasters and I love hiking and I bet I would love rock climbing. I’m that person taking pictures at the edge of the rock, peeking over the precipice, the person who made her friends nervous.
Guess who else makes mommy's friends nervous when they babysit... Kiki
So yea, I can’t blame poor Kiki by what is in her nature, but I could do a better job in nurturing by example. Over and over again I catch myself climbing the counters to get things off from top shelves, or standing on the back of the couch to take a “birds eye view” picture of her as she looks up and smiles. How many times has she seen me bring over a stool to grab that sweater at the top of my closet and how often has she watched me open the kitchen cabinets while standing on the bar stool?
Where do you think I was standing when I took these? Stools, tables, couches... shame on me!
One thing is for sure, girl is talented and I don’t want to completely suppress her curiosity and desire to challenge herself. I swear she’s fallen "bad" less than 10 times and each time she cried out of embarrassment or disappointment more than pain, we hugged it out and she went straight back to it. We’ve seen her stand, jump, dance on the arm rest of our couch, which is at the most half an inch wider than a balance beam. We’ve seen her do a pull up on a monkey bars at 9 months. As much as I’d like to take a break and spend a Saturday afternoon watching her quietly play with her “dolls” I now know that’s not in our cards. Chiara has got balance, she’s incredibly strong, and she’s fearless and those are traits I don’t want to suppress.
All I can do is embrace her nature (and the fact thre's no rest for the wicked), nurture by example (aka stop climbing furniture myself), and provide her with opportunities in a safe environment for her to continue to explore and challenge herself! And hopefully one day... we'll both be on top of the world! But if she prefers to chill.. we can do that too haha
