By Wendy Powell, owner of Childish Things (Estimated reading time: 2 minutes)
Woah.. that was sudden. Seasons always surprise me even though they return, year after year, without fail. Time is one non-negotiable. It is one thing we can count on. It marches forward no matter what we wish, and it guarantees changes in our kids, be it behaviors or needs. I was shocked every fall by how short all my kids’ pants had become. How could they have grown that much in three months?
Just this month, I personally hit a shocking milestone when my youngest turned 21. Twenty-one! As you look at your littles can you even imagine? It is such a mixed bag. It is both freeing and terrifying. And like other experiences in parenthood, almost unexplainable until you go through it.
Over the years, as time marches forward, we face new decisions in parenting. Some of them may seem mundane, others seem more monumental, but most often they are geared toward solving a problem you are currently facing; be it sleep, feeding, binkies, carrying, media — the list goes on.
I was a very intentional parent. I was sure my way of doing it was going to take the best from my parents and add my more progressive awareness of parenting practices. I was so fortunate to be in Seattle where I could join PEPS which was so instrumental for me in those early days. I then moved on to a preschool co-op where I had years of parent education. Still, I’m pretty sure I missed the mark on perfect parenting 😊.
While personally, I’m past much of that, at Childish Things we are helping folks figure out how to make their best choices for products for their children at various stages. While there are questions that we often can’t answer, like “which bottle is best,” we can make available products that have been most popular with other parents. While we can’t tell you which carrier YOUR baby might like best, we can help you with making sure you know the options and how to use them safely. We can tell you that your infant probably doesn’t need “educational toys” because absolutely everything they do is learning for them. We can also help you show them by example that buying gently used is good for the environment, financially savvy, and fun!
Right now, we are in full winter mode at Childish Things. We have welcomed three new team members and are looking for one more to join our team. We’ve also added a story time in our playroom which has recently re-opened. Every day folks tell us they wish they had known about us sooner. Will you be one of them? Stop in and check us out. You can even take a Google Maps tour inside the store on our website. Hope to see you soon!
