I Love my Grown Up 2 Year Old

My daughter is growing up, she’s a 2 year old and she can talk. She also recognizes people when she meets them again and also recognizes them in photos.

She’s stopped crying when I leave. She went to day care for almost a whole month, she cried on the first day and was clinging to me as if I was leaving her there forever. She got used to it and after two days she was waving as she told me bye. She’d see her teacher and go to her, leaving me standing there with empty arms. Daycare was the best thing ever since she got to interact with other kids and this improved her speech. She also polished up on her habits. Her teacher once told me how the first thing Imani would do when she got out of bed was to wear her shoes. She usually does the same thing at home, she’ll climb out of the bed and start looking for her crocs to wear before she leaves the room.

Related: 6 Lessons on Love from my Children

We now have a mini person to send around to bring stuff. Normally when you finish eating, she’ll take the plate and go drop it in the sink. If the lights are off in the kitchen, she’ll come to you and tell you, “come” and the leads the way to the kitchen. She’ll also bring whatever you ask her to bring, as long as she knows where it is and she can reach it, from the remote to slippers to your phone and even your bag (if it’s not too heavy to carry). She’s still selfish, she usually starts crying when she sees someone take something that belongs to me. She’ll even go to the extent of taking it from their hands and giving it back to me.Her speech has improved and she can hold mini conversations, even though half of the words are baby talk.

Here’s a normal phone conversation:

Me: Sema hello.

Imz: Hello.

Me: Bye Betty.

Imz: Bye, etty.

The title she uses to address me depends on her moods and the urgency of what she wants.

If she’s looking for me in the house, it’s usually:“Mama”“Mama”“Mum”“Mum”“Ma”“Ma”“Caro”“Caro”. Till I respond or till she sees me. If she wants something, it’s usually:“Mama”“Mama”“Caro”“Caro”Why do older women feel offended when their kids call them by their name? Does your name suddenly cease to be yours once you give birth? I find it adorable, interesting (she can talk) and hilarious when she does it. I have lost count of the number of people I have told Imz not to call me by my name and I have told them to leave her alone.

Lessons

• Toddlers minds are so sponge like, they absorb and store information quite fast.
• What your kid calls you doesn’t matter as long as it isn’t an offensive word.
• Absence does make the heart grow fonder, and so does time. It has been over two years since I first held her in my arms and my love has gotten deeper with every step.

Read more on Muthoni Njoki’s Blog.