What does a one-year-old do when her family is taking longer to eat dinner than she does? Hint: it’s very cute, my one-year-old sister has made it a ritual, and it’s something that perhaps other people should take up.
Tonight, Elizabeth finished her dinner before we all did and Mom set her on the floor. She pulled up on Mom’s chair at one end of the table, cruised around the back of it, reached for Pearl’s chair, cruised along the backs of the three chairs down one side of our table, and giggled crazily when she came around Dad’s end of the table. She quickly worked her way behind Dad’s chair, reached for my chair, I counted, “One lap,” she cruised at high, excited speed along the four chairs on my side of the table, coming back to Mom’s chair, and without a pause, she started her second lap.
This is something that she does whenever she has a chance. She did it during school time one day, which, needless to say, did not facilitate much mathematics! She sings as she goes, making up her own tunes, words, and little screams of excitement when somebody interrupts with a “peek-a-boo!” She has a good voice for a one-year-old!
Why should other people consider taking up this end-of-the-meal habit? Well, let’s look at it scientifically: if she eats a hearty meal (which she always does unless it’s carrots) she might get chubby. Well, okay, she already is. Quite. But she might get chubby-ER! She then gets down and does, say, 8.5 laps around a table that seats 10; that’s pretty good exercise (when your legs are so short, anyway!). Not a bad idea... huh?
