This is how the new becomes old for kids, or at least mine. I’m sure any parent has seen the process or some variation of it.
Stage 1: It’s New!
This is where the kid figures out a new trick, flavor, toy, movie, etc. It is fabulous and they must tell the world about it. And I assure you it–whatever it is–is the best in the whole wide universe and beyond.
Stage 2: Loving It!
This is the stage where the it must be loved, excessively and repeatedly. If it’s a new trick then mommy and daddy must watch it 50 gajillion times. If it’s a new flavor, it’s all the kid wants to eat for a week, maybe longer. If it’s a toy, then no one else may touch it and they play with it non stop. If it’s a movie there will be no other movie watching in the house unless it is this movie. You get the point. This stage can last anywhere from a week to a month–or longer for reasons I have never been able to figure out.
Stage 3: That’s Boring.
This is the stage where the once essential it begins to lose it’s appeal. It is still a part of the do-eat-play-watch repertoire, but it is now joining the ranks of other things, which can be claimed as boring even while in use. It is now old.
As I said, this process has some variation and old things don’t necessarily become hated things, they simply lose their obsessive appeal. As a parent this is both fascinating and annoying. I love watching their faces light up when things are new, but detest it when things become boring because then a have no clue what to suggest they do so I can have two minutes of thinking time (read: go to the bathroom without followers).
How does the process work in your house, with your kids? Do you find yourself going through this process?
*Photo: My son and daughter. Photo also featured in my post Life Without a Babysitter.
