They Miss Out!

     I always find it amusing to read books that have characters under the age of five.  Maybe it is the limitation one has through the writing medium, or maybe these writers don’t have much experience with toddlers but, they never seem to get it right.  Having three children of my own under the age of five, I am amazed at how little you actually hear from these little ones in the works of writing I have read.

     An accurate depiction of life with a toddler would need page after page of description.  I don’t know how many conversations I have had that have been interrupted time and time again by one of my special little girls.  Whether it’s Cora wanting to show me a dance move, Brooke needing a snack, or Ally just wanting me to pick her up I find it rare to get through a conversation smoothly when they are around.  Some days I even have to abandon any attempt at conversation until after they are in bed. 

 

 

 

 

     No, my children are not little terrors; they just do what kids do.  They need attention, fall down, make messes, laugh, dance, fight, play, get hungry, and then make messes again.  Some days I feel I am caught up in a tornado, being spun through my day leaving some chaos behind.  I never get the correct sense of how large a part children should play when I am reading a book with young characters.  It always makes me laugh to see how writers don’t seem to take the time to really dive into these potentially wonderful, little characters.  I know that my children make up a large part of my day to day activities.  I may be terrible at remembering the details of our conversations and interactions, but I never forget the emotions I feel.  The good and the bad are worth every moment and if I were a writer I would want to catch the real emotion behind life with a little one!