Where are you?

There is nothing worse than that moment when you turn around and your child, who was just there, is gone. 😟 Your heart stops. Whether you are in a grocery store, your driveway, or an amusement park, it’s a terrible feeling. 👎🏼👎🏼 

What I did not realize prior to kids is that toddler are notorious for not responding when you start yelling “______ where are you?!” 🤷🏻‍♀️ And then when you find them and they are just standing there…. Ugh! Why didn’t they respond? 🤨 

I still don’t know exactly why they don't respond 😆 but I do know how we can teach them to respond. 💁🏻‍♀️ 

Once Maeve started walking, I started working on the skill of responding to “Maeve, where are you?”  

🌟Here is how it goes:  

Practice in your home when it is not a panicked situation. Start with the toddler in the same room as you but maybe not in clear sight. I would start saying “Maeve, where are you?” At the beginning she didn’t respond so I had to prompt her to say “here” or “mama”. Maeve couldn’t exactly say “here” but it was close enough.  

Once the child responds, make sure you give them SO MUCH PRAISE! Give them hugs, kisses, claps, etc. 👏🏼👏🏼💕💕 

Continuum: ⬇️ 

-first start by practicing in the house (a controlled setting)  

-then practice in the house but from separate rooms 

-then practice outside in the yard  

-then practice outside when you are out of sight  

-then practice in a store 

-then practice in a store where you know where they are…. Maybe you are around the corner or around the clothes rack  

🌟🌟The goal is to practice as much as possible when it is NOT a frantic situation with the goal that when it IS a frantic situation they will respond.  

Make sure to follow @MissJaneOfAllTrades for simple, fun daily activities 💕      

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If you try this activity, please 🙏🏼 share with me in DMs! It makes my day 💕