Jasmin’s curiosity is ever increasing and no door is safe
from the inquisitive Jasmin. Little fingers find their way to every nuke and
cranny. Electric sockets have been blocked with plastic plugs, toilet paper is removed
to higher positioning and my clothes are never safe from a turning over. Still,
it becomes clearer that Jasmin is learning about the way the world works, so it’s
not sure that curiosity is bad. Curiosity does not seem to kill the cat but
rather to make her more knowledgeable and independent.
It’s a lucky thing that Jasmin likes to put things into
boxes. It’s always easy to get her to help tidy up. As long as I am there to
partake in the fun, Jasmin is always willing to put toys back into boxes. She is
of course just as happy to pull them all out again a few minutes later, not to mention
my clothes or the plastic boxes in the kitchen. We had been spending the recent spring holiday
at my parent’s house and according to my mother Jasmin took over the kitchen.
She first pulled out all the posts and pans from the lower drawers and then
rearranged them. On the other hand, when she pulled out a container of cocoa
power and my mother asked her to return it to its place, Jasmin did just that.
It was also on this holiday that Jasmin has finally climbed and descended the
stair case at my parents’ house, on all fours, alone and unnoticed. On an
especially quiet afternoon we searched for her all over the house, only to find
her in one of the toilets tearing at a roll of toilet paper and making quite a
mess (not to mention the waste of paper), enjoying herself immensely in the
process.
On another occasion during the holiday, she opened a
cupboard door, which I desired her to close. So a new game began; I ordered her in a stem
voice to close the door whenever she opened it and smiled and cooed at her is
she closed it, then again the stern voice because she opened it again, and the sweet
tones when she closed the door. I clapped my hands and complimented her. The door
opened again and a paid or mischievous eyes danced in her face, one again I turned
stern, the door closed and I was all smiles once more – this time Jasmin did
the hand clapping to congratulate herself. She has taken up the various tones
of adult speech and can clearly communicate displeasure, truly scolding me or
wailing, as well as gurgling her satisfaction, occasionally whooping a happy
screech or breathing with excitement and wonderment when wanting to show me
something. She gets more and more consonants into her vocabulary and recently
has taken to saying “babababa” which as close to the Hebrew word for daddy
(abba).
One morning when I was in the restroom and my mobile phone
was ringing, serving as an alarm clock, Jasmin went to get it from the other
side of the apartment, attracted by the noise. She brought it to me with an
inquisitive look in her eye. She likes to bring me things and one day she brought
my glasses from the counter near the bed to me in the bathroom. She also tries
to pin my hair up with a plastic claps I use. Taking my glasses off my face and
trying to put them back on for me is a national sport, as is pulling at the earrings
have recently resumed in wearing.
She likes to press on buttons and no DVD or video or any
other electronic devise, preferably one with lights is safe from her. She sat
down holding my mobile phone and pressed the screen in an effort to light it
up. The first trials were fruitless, but not such as Jasmin would give up (I
call her my little fighter, because although her elder brother is 4 years her
senior, she hold her own with him). She persists and presses and by now she
gets all kinds of apps to work and websites to go online.
Understanding her world includes various attempts at drawing
from a very early age. Taking a pen and putting it t paper first occurred around
the age of 6 months. The attempt then was futile, but she has been improving
since. In kindergarten I am told she likes to sit with the elder children and
she can put together a scribble and decorate it is stickers rather nicely. I
should probably frame her first attempts, as I did Jonathan’s (Jasmin’s elder
brother) but I find that I am a lazier parent o my second child. Jasmin is
however not lazy, and as always willing to take part in any activity.
Yesterday, as I was hanging the washing, she joined me and started handing me
the clothes to hand. She grabbed each piece with two hands and raised them in
my direction, making one single vocal sound as she did so, to draw my
attention. She was soon handing me the clothes much faster than I could hang
them on the line…we completed the task rather quickly and poor jasmine was disappointed
that there were no more textiles to grab (I do believe she has a soft spot
especially for the kitchen towels).
Jasmin is a scientist at heart. At least I would like to
think so. What other explanation can there be to her turning her bottle upside
down while it is full of fluids and pressing the tip to her shirt to look at
the expanding stain on the fabric? Or just shaking the bottle upside down and
delighting in the drops on the floor? Or smearing food all over herself after
taking the mash in her hands to get a better feel for it? Or throwing her
bottle or any other toy into the toilet? I have often read about pranksters in
books and wondered why parents would tolerate such childish tricks. it would
seem, however, that I have a prankster on my hands, and I do assure you that
while my husband was laughing affectionately at the bottle he found in the
toilet basin, I scolded Jasmin and I hope the message with get though…but as I
write these lines, I cannot help smiling as I think of it all.
Turning out the kitchen cupboards
