This is my favourite parenting book, but not for the reasons you may think. It divides the chapters according to various developmental stages, so each time my daughter crosses a milestone, I tear off the pertinent pages and send them to the recycling machine, heaving a sigh of relief that the toughest days of child-rearing will soon be distant memories of the past.
Not to mention that her school fees will undergo quite a significant dip now that she is more than 1.5 years old. My wallet proposes a toast to the Universe!
Anyway, reading such books is often a drag-back-to-earth that your child is not all that special, that she is going through a rite of passage like every infant out there. Still, based on my data point of two, I feel certain to conclude that this warrior princess is unique in certain ways:
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She charges up the playground slide, fully expecting to scale it. She fails many times, but she charges up again, with her enthusiasm undiminished.
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Similarly, she hurtles towards birds, probably wanting to catch them. Her elder brother exhibited more restraint, probably because he was more of a scaredy-cat.
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She feeds herself independently. In fact, she will push my hand away impatiently when I want to feed her (because she makes such a mess of her food) but noooooo, hell hath no fury like a woman denied autonomy. Meanwhile, her brother is conditioned to being fed because his toys are going through various adventures.
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She gives me a look, as if to notify me, before she dashes away towards the nearest stairs or capsule machine or playground. I am not her boss.
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She definitely cannot say 20 words as yet. But her “num num” means many things - that she wants to eat, that she is referring to a cat or a hippo. Very strategic linguist.