Inclusion

There are many different ways to define inclusion, especially when it involves a two-year old. Mom defines inclusion as incorporating Anna into whatever activity Mom is doing. As a result, Anna is well on her way to developing her cleaning skills and particularly enjoys baking. The next step will be developing her budgeting skills; however that will likely need to wait until her math skills move beyond counting to 20.

Dad's definition of inclusion is a bit different -- perhaps because Anna determined that it is more appropriate for her to incorporate Dad into whatever she is doing rather than the other way around. Last week, Dad needed to finish some work and Anna wanted to cook him dinner. The compromise: Dad set up his laptop on Anna's table and proceeded to finish work while Anna was "cooking." What are Dad's for?

Of course then there are activities that the entire family is included in, like the visit to the Washington Auto show this past weekend. Mom and Dad enjoyed daydreaming of sportscars (Mom) or luxury mobiles (Dad) in between viewing the family cars. Anna enjoyed climbing in the cars and sprinting down the aisles with her parents chasing behind her.

Inclusion.