Who's Bored Here?

I'm learning that it's extremely difficult to bore a toddler. They just find everything so interesting. The same is not true for their adult care-givers, and I've noticed that - as a group - we tend to project our own boredom onto the wee creature we're playing with.

And so, several times when my folks were out last, my mother expressed concern that Miss Mouse was bored at their condo, or needed more toys for her bath, etc. And I often feel the same impulse -- to get her more things to play with to augment our collection of toys.

But then I take a minute and really watch her, and I realize that I can count on one hand the number of times I've actually seen her appear to be bored. She can always find something to keep her entertained.

Take this afternoon, for example. She spent 45 solid minutes covering me up with pieces of fabric while I lay on the couch.

It all started when she looked over and noticed me dozing. "Mama sleep!" she announced, and then came over and solicitously set a piece of shiny blue fabric on my stomach with a gentle pat. Then she crossed the room, returning with another piece of fabric. And another. She's got quite a stash, so the process took a while.

Once I was thoroughly covered, she clambered up onto the couch with me, lay down on my chest for a moment, then sat up and said "AGAIN!" She flung the fabric to the floor, sternly informed me to sleep, and set about covering me up again.

She repeated this activity nonstop for 45 minutes.