Fixations and Obsessions

I can recite word for word Peepo. I can sing the theme tune to Raa Raa the Noisy Lion with the same accuracy as I can belt out a bit of Beyonce. I have acquired an almost 'Spidey Sense' when it comes to spotting trains, helicopters, police cars or aeroplanes. These are new talents that I firmly thank my daughter for. At 20 months old my little red head is obsessed with all of these things. But she is the most obsessed with her yellow wellingtons. These little luminescent rubber boots have to be worn daily, even on a warm sunny afternoon, they must be taken from the hall cupboard and slipped on to her little feet. If this doesn't make up part of her 'leave the house' routine and some other form of footwear is offered...... well all hell breaks loose and The Toddler Hulk is unleashed. The photo below is merely a gentle representation of how angry she can get. To reveal to the world her true rage face I believe would simply be both terrifying and a little cruel.

Needless to say these obsessions show me that little Lena finds comfort in routine. She finds security in knowing what is to come.  These things give her a true sense of control during a time when she has very little and faces frustration daily.  She has been fixated on having her bunny during nap and bed time, and after months I have found that it not only comforts her to have it whilst she sleeps but she also uses it as a communication tool; waving it in our faces in a frantic manner which simply means 'I'm so tired, please let me snooze.'

For a while I became concerned that her fixation on watching an episode of Raa Raa at 5:30pm on the dot was a reliance. A dependency on television was one of my biggest worries when she was little. So much so that I refused to watch any television whilst she was a newborn. This was ridiculous and on reflection I wish I had indulged in some serious reality television sessions when she wasn't yet able to repeat words that she hears just once. After a few recent worried weeks, I was convinced that I had made the very happiness of her soul dependent upon, albeit a lovely television programme, a programme nonetheless.

But as I uttered the words 'it's just a phase,' as quickly as it started the obsession ended. And although she delights in a few sofa cuddle sessions catching up on the lion's latest antics, she doesn't wail as she once did for the magic box to light up.

The same can be said for her bright yellow wellies. The day that she grew out of them my heart sank. Not the wellies! Because it was the start of summer I couldn't find them anywhere in her size and I can tell you now that I hunted! But I have been pleasantly surprised.  After a few hallway catwalk sessions in some new shoes the wellies could be hidden without fist beating tantrums. I now await the latest obsession to present itself.