My little girl refuses to sit still. Ever. Especially if you want her to sit on your lap.
This disinclination for stillness began as soon as she was able to move. I think she began refusing to sit on laps when she was about four months old. Since then, trying to sit through meals, church, or any other occasion during which one usually wishes a little person to be still have been difficult for our family. To be clear, I don't expect her to be still for long periods of time; it is rare for her to sit on anyone's lap for more than a minute unless she is very distracted by something else.
At Christmas, I decided that it was time for my little person to learn to sit through at least the sermon at church quietly. I was encouraged by this article, which I had read earlier in the month. I arrived at this decision somewhat spontaneously during a particularly frustrating church service, when I decided that she is old enough to learn how to behave. I spend the rest of the service outside trying to contain a screaming little one on my lap.
I haven't had much opportunity to work on this since, because she was either reasonably well-behaved during church, or because we were out of town until yesterday. All in all, it went fairly well. The poor little thing was quite frustrated and fought vigorously for most of the unusually long sermon. In case anyone wonders, I take her to another room to do this so I don't disturb everyone else. She kept giving me the sign for "All done," which I now realize in her mind means "I do not want to be confined any longer." She does that at the table too, when she is in her high chair.
Today, she didn't want to sit in her high chair for lunch or snack time. I have only recently realized how extreme her unwillingness to be still and confined to one place is and I am a little concerned. This does not seem like normal behavior.
So far, my plan is to hold her in my lap and fight her until she stops fighting and is reasonably quiet. At the table, I am trying to keep her in her chair until the meal is over rather than letting her out after she asks a few times. We have also decided to stop giving her any food outside of her chair. I am not sure if I am going about this the best way, but I want to help my baby develop an essential discipline while she is still little.
To make things worse, we are taking her to Hawaii in two months and she is going to have to sit in our seats with us for five hours. I am starting to dread that trip.
