The Longest Shortest Time

18 Months in 7 Minutes

Joyce of episode #9 recommended that I check out the Gesell Institute of Human Development’s series on child development, by Louise Bates Ames. If you are unfamiliar with these books, they are roughly 100-page guides to what you can expect from your average child from ages 1-14. Since my daughter is just about 18 months old, I started with Your One-Year-Old: Fun Loving and Fussy. I have learned a lot about why she is suddenly having an onslaught of tantrums, and I am pleased to know that this is likely just another longest shortest time we are experiencing—according to the book, things should settle down in about three to six months.

The book also gave me a visual sense of why I am so pooped by the end of the day, even if we haven’t really gone anywhere. This diagram compares the paths of children of different ages in the same play room within a 7-minute period.

That one in the upper right corner is the 18-month-old.

I feel both vindicated and relieved. A year from now there will be much less chasing going on. Parents of older children: can you confirm that this is true?

Images: Gesell Institute