(Click to see Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4.
My son is doing much better with playing alone. I don't know how much it has to do with me working with him and how much is due to developmental maturity. (Probably more of the latter.) But, regardless of the why, he is playing a little better alone. Don't get me wrong, we still do LOTS of things together, but he is playing independently more and more often.
The next step I've decided to take is to simply insist that he play alone.
Here is what happened today that led me to this conclusion. He awoke around 7, we rocked for twenty minutes, played (our version) of Memory, ate breakfast, went to the library, met friends for a very kid-friendly lunch, and finally settled down for a nap. Guess how long he slept? 45 MINUTES. That's it. He's usually a great napper, so I don't know what was going on, but needless to say, Mommy was disappointed.
So, I got him up, gave him a snack and asked if he wanted to play outside. He did, of course, but wanted me to come with him. I firmly told him, that no, Mommy would watch him play from the kitchen. And he was okay with it. He played for about twenty minutes with our dogs while I watched from the kitchen table.
I felt fine with this because I could see him play and our entire day had been centered around him. He needed time to play alone and I needed time to myself.
So, I guess we've arrived at the next step of this long process. I insist, he reluctantly complies, and we both end up a little happier.
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