The
Carroll family lives here.
Since James was born, more has changed than just diapers.
Bill and Melanie weathered the first year of parenthood well, and James is generally
very pleased with their performance.
The changes, however, are far from over.
Right around 12 months, James, like half of his peers, was walking, and statistics show
that within the next few months, the other 50% will be doing the same.
Statistics though don't show the impact of what babies' first steps on a family are like,
so we will.
Perhaps no single milestone of childhood can match the drama and significance of your child's
first small steps.
Hello, I'm Michael Learned for Aid Association for Lutherans.
Welcome to our program, Small Steps, Giant Leaps.
Your toddler's first steps and first words are your first cues to the beginning of another
new and exciting time in your lives.
Between 12 and 36 months, your child's world and your world will change dramatically.
A few short months ago, your child was dependent on others for almost everything.
Now your toddler has the ability to take care of some of those needs herself.
She can explore the intriguing territories of her home, get to the toys she wants, and
approach adults for assistance, affection, and play.
As your child's first and most influential teacher, you'll be able to provide guidance
and encouragement in many ways.
First, your toddler needs a safe environment in which to play and learn.
For toddlers, they're one and the same.
Since toddlers learn through their senses by touching, tasting, and seeing, and through
motor activities by lifting, pushing, pulling, and dropping, arranging their environment
to promote safety and learning is important.
Seek baby-proofing consists of making the home safe by covering exposed electrical outlets,
moving dangerous substances out of baby's reach, securing lower kitchen and bathroom
cabinets with childproof latches or locks, using approved childproof gates on stairways,
watching out for dangling appliance cords and cooking utensil handles, and keeping the
floors free of small toys and other items that could find their way into the child's
mouth.
Safety-proofing for toddlers, however, calls for additional steps since they are more mobile
and inventive than infants.
To keep fragile items and family heirlooms in the family, put them out of the toddler's
reach.
And remember, toddlers love to climb.
Rearranging objects and furniture to avoid potential damage and conflict is more effective
than trying to teach toddlers not to touch them.
Keep medicines safely away from toddlers, too.
They love to copy everything you do.
Poisoning and accidental overdoses is a very common problem in children up to the four-year
age group.
Some things that can be done, make sure that all of your cleaning products and whatever
else you may be using insecticides are kept either in a locked cabinet or totally out
of reach of your youngsters.
A syrup of Ipacac can be given to children when they've ingested certain substances
that you want them to throw up, to get out of their system.
And it's very good to keep on hand in case this does happen.
Have the emergency number or the poison control center number next to your phone so that if
an accidental poisoning does happen, you have the number handy that you can call them for
advice.
One of the biggest accidental killers of children up to the four-year age group is car accidents.
And it is very important for these children to be placed in car seats and later on as
they get older into seat belts.
The child becomes a missile in the car if they're not restrained.
And they can have much, the injuries are much worse if they're not restrained.
Even if you're just going in a parking lot, down the driveway, whatever they need to be
restrained.
Anything can happen at any time.
Some other things that you can think about or parents should think about when they have
children around is one thing is to turn your hot water heater down.
If the children are playing in either the tub or the sink and they happen to turn on
the hot water, we have had children come in who have been burned severely from this, just
the hot water.
So it's a good idea to turn it down.
Another thing to think about is the electrical outlets when you have something plugged in.
Either watch them very closely or unplug the things that you're not using and keep the
electrical sockets capped because we have had children come in who have tried to unplug
certain things with their mouths and come in with severe burns around their lips and
face.
So that is also important.
Thoroughly safety-proofing your home will create a safer environment for your toddler
to explore, but of course it's not a substitute for adult supervision which is still required
most of the time.
Another way to enhance the toddler's environment is to provide good basic toys and materials
like sand and water for play.
When your toddler stops putting everything in her mouth, introduce her to basic art materials
like crayons, washable markers, and modeling clay.
Providing stools, child-sized furniture, and other items specially made for children allows
the toddler to make her own choices and helps her to build a sense of self-confidence.
You, however, are the most important element of your toddler's environment.
With newly acquired mobility and increasing language capability, your toddler can now
approach you and other adults actively rather than waiting for attention.
When she does, do your best to give her your full attention.
It demonstrates your willingness to assist and that you respect her importance as a person.
Life with a toddler will be easier and more fun if you have an idea of what's going on
inside your toddler, what it's like to be a toddler.
In one and three years of age, a child needs to begin the process of becoming his own person,
independent of you.
You can actually see the struggle and effort it takes.
One minute tears and whining and the next happy and involved.
Your toddler is a person in transition.
No longer a dependent baby, but not yet an independent child, as this toddler expresses
it.
Your toddler's struggle to separate from you and take his first steps toward autonomy
is like no other phase of development, except maybe adolescence.
Toddlers and teenagers are alike in that they alternate between dependency on their parents
and trying to be independent.
Both need love, limits, and encouragement in spite of their unpredictable behavior.
Take advantage of your toddler's eagerness to help.
It will promote the proud feeling of accomplishment that I did it myself.
I think it's vital for a child to learn how to be independent by mimicking what their
parents do, helping with the laundry, washing dishes or putting them in the dishwasher.
Even if they just get to swish the stuff around the toilet bowl, they think they're doing
a lot even though they may not.
Or just helping to cook is a big thrill for little kids.
Doing their bed, whatever responsibility you give them, even from a very young age, they
really can learn their independence that way and it does help them to learn that they can
provide and do things for themselves.
If they can get to run the vacuum cleaner down the stairs or something like that, they
find that a big treat too.
Yeah, it's amazing that when they're at such a young age, you can get them to do these
things and hopefully it'll stay that way as they get older.
My 18-month-old could put her own coat on at a year old.
Now she has great motor skills so that helps.
The more they can do for themselves, the better they feel about themselves too.
Like, oh, look what I did.
I've accomplished something.
But I think you have to allow them and want them to be independent of you.
I think some parents like children feeling dependent on them, like they really need me.
It makes me feel good that my child needs me so much.
But I think it's good for the child to be independent.
That's how they grow.
That's how they learn.
That's how they feel comfortable in their environment.
That's how they do better with their peers.
We have a Georgian home, which is actually three, we have three levels.
We just let them go.
Like I know some parents, they're right behind the child constantly.
I asked John, John, have you seen LaRoch?
No, he's in the house somewhere.
The door is a lot.
So he's exploring.
You know, you can't, if you lock them down, they'll never learn anything.
Just let them explore the house as a safe house.
You know, you do all your little child safety things around there.
And you just let them go.
When he's ready to come back, he'll come back.
Or he'll call for you if something's really wrong.
But yeah.
That's like a philosophy, I guess, that we both agree with.
As far as teaching independence.
I've had other friends as far as comparing child rearing attitudes or whatever, and keep
a tight array on the kids.
With Lauren, as long as I know that she's not going to go somewhere and die out in the
street or whatever, I don't watch her constantly.
Though a toddler's thinking and language skills are still basic, she does have a memory.
Like her, it's short.
She's continually learning and experimenting to test results.
Since her memory is short, she doesn't think very far ahead, but lives mostly in the here
and now.
Understanding your toddler's sense of time may help you better communicate with him and
avoid potential conflicts.
Hey, you're having a good time with that puzzle, aren't you?
Okay.
As soon as I get your snack ready, we need to put your puzzle up and put your jacket
on, okay?
Because we're going to leave for a play group right after Sesame Street is over.
You'll be able to play with Meredith and Billy when we get there.
Maybe you can all play with the balls like last time.
Melanie told James ahead of time what was going to happen, and she gave him time to
prepare for the upcoming transition.
Okay.
As soon as I get your snack ready, we need to put your puzzle up and put your jacket
on, okay?
Because we're going to leave for a play group right after Sesame Street is over.
She provided a time reference and a sequence of events that James could understand better
than clock time.
You'll be able to play with Meredith and Billy when we get there.
Maybe you can all play with the balls like last time.
And she specifically focused on the positives of the transition from the perspective of
the toddler.
Your child is working hard to make sense of the world.
Off will be easier for you both if you do what you can to make the toddler's world
familiar and predictable.
A regular schedule for meals, naps, playtime, and bedtime can help order the toddler's
world.
Routines and rituals help contribute to the security a toddler needs to comfortably explore
the new and unfamiliar.
A familiar bedtime routine.
Washing up.
A horsey back ride.
Reading good night moon yet again.
And saying prayers can be a comforting close to what may have been a hectic day.
At the end of such a day, though you may not be in the mood for the routine, chances are
it will reassure your toddler and send him right off to sleep.
Routines and rituals can help get you both through the rough spots.
That doesn't mean you can never deviate from your normal routine.
Just that you shouldn't be surprised if a change in routine makes your toddler cranky
or irritable.
Understanding that your toddler's emotional viewpoint is very egocentric can also help.
Right now the world exists for him and for him only.
When he sleeps, the world sleeps.
A toddler simply doesn't have the mental capacity to put himself in another's position.
This isn't selfishness.
It's simply his perspective of the world.
In fact, he may have only a vague idea that there are other perspectives.
Keep your toddler's egocentricity in mind when you face situations like this.
James, James, that's Melissa's cake.
Now here's yours.
That makes Melissa angry when you take her cake.
Point out to him how his actions make others feel, but don't expect him to act on it yet.
Keep in mind he's just beginning to identify his own feelings and often doesn't know what
he's feeling or what it is he wants.
Giving names to emotions is the first step in helping the toddler gain control over his
feelings.
He's not trying to torture you by vacillating between activities, moods, and attitudes.
It's simply that he can't make a decision when he's not sure what it is he's feeling.
You can help by accepting his feelings while still limiting unacceptable behavior.
James, you're angry because you want Melissa's cake.
Now this is yours.
If you want a piece of cake, you have to eat your own piece.
Okay?
Accepting your child's feelings can also help you deal with the irrational fears that your
toddler may develop.
Children between one and three years of age have discovered that the world can be a dangerous
place.
Since toddlers can't consistently distinguish between fantasy and reality, logic often does
little to calm their fears.
They may fear being pulled down the drain with the bath water, being sucked up into
the vacuum cleaner, or being eaten up by the monsters who live in the closet.
Praying monster killer, also known as H2O, will probably be more effective in getting
a terrified toddler to sleep than all the logic you can muster.
Besides walking, talking is the next most dramatic milestone of the toddler period.
Though your role in helping the toddler learn to talk is very important, it's not all that
complicated.
Learning and commenting on everyday events and expanding on what the toddler says are
the most important things you can do to help your toddler begin to master the fundamentals
of language.
Some parents worry if their toddler doesn't talk as much as other children their age,
but in this, as in all areas of development, children follow their own schedule.
In general, there's no need for concern at this stage as long as your toddler seems to
understand you when you talk with him.
Try not to expect too much from your toddler.
They're not little adults, thank goodness.
They're just what their name implies, toddlers, between dependency and independence.
Their most important social and emotional task is to become separate and autonomous.
To develop normally, they must assert their independence and they don't usually do it
silently.
This is their more usual form.
Life with a toddler is often not smooth or predictable.
A toddler may say no even to things she wants, or she may employ other techniques that also
assert her independence.
This is the stall.
Ari, let's go.
Mommy's waiting for us in the car.
And there's always the old favorite, changing one's mind.
But Kylie, you just asked for this bowl of crunchy munchies.
The negativism that toddlers often demonstrate is actually a positive sign of normal development.
It's the child's primary way of gaining a sense of himself as a human being with power
and independence.
Toddler negativism is not directed at parents.
It's something that they have to do.
They are trying to become independent.
They are trying to become autonomous.
And it actually is a compliment to you that they are taking these no approaches.
No is a powerful word.
Yes, it's not so powerful.
And it shows they feel safe in speaking to you that way.
They just have to work through the little struggles that it takes to get that.
And so no, it's not directed toward parents.
The toddlers need to assert themselves.
It's part of their developmental progression.
And they have to be able to say no to see how no is going to work, to see if they actually
can be in charge of their problems themselves.
It's a compliment because they feel safe with you.
They feel comfortable with you.
And they trust you enough to include you in their sort of life experiment.
It's a really delicate balance with babying or pushing children toward independence.
Actually pushing is a bad idea, but babying is just about as bad.
Children need to be allowed to move in their own good time.
The best role for parents in toddlerhood is to offer choices that are valid choices, but
not choices that are overwhelming.
The choice between this t-shirt and that t-shirt, but not what would you like to wear.
Would you like to eat peas first or would you like to eat potatoes first, but not do
you want to eat now?
Only things that are there, but when you do that, you facilitate all of this independence
and you'll get less nos.
If you baby a toddler too much, they will resist it and they will get, just like a teenager
will, they'll resist it and they'll keep pressing.
They want to press.
It's a balance between them wanting to be independent and oddly enough at the same time
wanting to be dependent.
And it's just like a seesaw.
They want to balance exactly what's going on.
If you baby them, you've thrown it off balance and they'll overcompensate to get down on
the other end.
The same thing would happen if you were overly pressing on them.
There's a difference between providing guidance for toddler and guidance for an older child
because toddlers and older children are different people.
There's not a difference in the sense that you always provide guidance for this individual
child at this time and whatever's going on in their lives.
And certainly your expectations of a toddler should be different than your expectations
of a four-year-old or older child or a baby.
Parents should try to provide guidance that will help toddlers master their own behavior
without damaging their self-esteem.
Disciplining a toddler is different than disciplining an older child.
The parent's greatest challenge is to find ways to minimize conflict by anticipating
potential difficulties.
James, James, I told you to pick up those toys five minutes ago.
Now pick them up before I lose my temper.
James, put those toys away right now or you're going straight to your room.
What we've just seen is a mom paint herself into a corner.
There are ways, however, that by planning ahead, Melanie can guide James into behaving
as she wishes and motivate him toward good behavior.
First, she must decide whether or not the issue is really important.
Put simply, she should pick her battles.
If she decides the issue is important, she could try various tactics like these.
She can break down the job into smaller tasks that the child can more easily accomplish.
James, would you please put the blocks in the box here?
Or Melanie could give James a choice.
James, I think we've got to clean up here.
Now would you like to put the blocks in the box or stack these cups up?
Want to stack the cups?
Another alternative is to change the mood of the encounter using humor or silliness.
She could make a game out of the activity to motivate the behavior she wants.
Do you think that we can get all these blocks in the box before I count to ten?
You want to try?
Okay, here we go.
One, two, three, four.
If James still won't cooperate, Melanie could then follow through by expressing her feelings
and using a consequence specific to the situation.
James, I feel angry when I have to pick up your toys all by myself.
Now, if you won't help me, I'm going to have to put them in the closet and you won't be
able to play with them until tomorrow.
If you do make such a promise, you must make good on it and follow through.
It's natural for parents to worry about losing the upper hand.
Melanie put herself and James into a position of confrontation and worried about losing
control.
If she chooses to maintain absolute control through force or threats, in this and similar
circumstances, James may never become the separate person he needs to be.
Here are some other suggestions for guiding your toddler's behavior.
Keep instructions short and simple.
When talking to a toddler, tell them what you want them to do, not what you don't want
them to do.
It's easy to get confused when negatives are used in a command.
James, James, now remember what I told you.
Don't go into the street.
Toddlers tend to pay greater attention to the intensity of language than they do to
the words.
James could well have heard not what his mother said, but...
Don't go into the street.
Make your instructions as unambiguous as possible, especially those that have a safety message.
James, stay on the grass.
Explain the reasons for limits.
For younger toddlers, a single word like hot may be sufficient.
For older toddlers, only a little more explanation is needed.
Let your child make choices, as often as is practical.
It gives him a sense of control over his life and helps build the autonomy he's seeking.
If James wants to wear his boots around the house, let him.
Save directives for important matters, such as safety issues.
Don't offer choices if choices don't exist.
If it is bedtime, you're inviting conflict if you ask.
Oh, thanks, James.
Hey, you want to go to bed now, sweetie?
You can't blame a child who truthfully answers no when offered a choice.
Instead, you might say...
James, it's bedtime.
You want to wear your yellow jammies or your blue jammies?
Blue, buddy.
Yeah, okay.
Is there ever a need for punishment?
We talked to Betty Black.
There's not really ever a reason to punish a child, per se.
What needs to happen with children is there needs to be a set of structured guidelines
for what will happen if they don't do something.
And if you wanted to call that punishment, that'd be okay, I wouldn't call it punishment.
What needs to happen is children need to be absolutely clear about what you do expect
them to do.
You need to understand that they have to know how to do it, and they need to know the consequences
that will occur if they don't do it.
And above all, if you've set consequences, they must occur.
Parents often ask, what do you do if the child's not doing what you want them to do or what
you think you've told them to do?
The first level of working out this sort of problem is to find out if they really did
understand what you wanted done.
In essence, you have to figure out if it's something you want done and they don't want
it done, or if they don't understand it.
If it's something that you could have asked them to do, that they should have done, and
they're developmentally able to do it, then you do escalate a bit with your guidance.
But in general, the problems between parents and children, especially in the toddler years,
happen when parents attempt to control children's behavior rather than guide children to a point
of choosing that behavior themselves.
It's a balance.
It's another one of those very fine balances.
You can escalate, but typically you'll get into a power struggle with a toddler, and
power struggles with children.
They're going to outlive you and you won't win.
Parents or other adults who try to coerce or intimidate children into doing what the
parent thinks is supposed to happen simply get resistance.
You have about two kinds of children.
Strong, active children will probably resist and they'll get into a major power struggle.
You won't get the behavior you wanted and you'll get lots bigger problem.
There is another type of child that will simply pull into themselves, they'll close up, and
it will look like they did what you wanted, but you'll have very deep problems later.
So coercion is not the task here because the child is supposed to develop autonomy.
That's what we're supposed to be doing, and you really can't have that happen if you are
the person in charge.
They have to be in charge.
Toddlers really do need to find out where they're in charge and how much power they
really have.
Having a good example, role modeling, is one of the most powerful tools that parents have
to help guide their children.
How we treat our children affects their self-esteem and how they get along with others.
A good rule of thumb is to treat them as we would have them treat us.
This looks good.
James, would you pass me the ketchup, please?
Right there.
Thank you, sir.
Listen carefully to your child.
Get down to his level and be sensitive to both his verbal and his non-verbal communication
cues.
Look him in the eyes and let him know you're really listening.
Make an effort to go at the toddler's pace at least some of the time.
Try to listen to what you sound like to your toddler.
Someone once said that the only person who says no more than a toddler is the toddler's
parent.
How many noses does your child hear and how much positive encouragement?
James, no.
Only bad boys put food in Megan's hair.
Bad.
Don't attack your child's developing character.
It can undermine his self-esteem.
Instead, state the rules of conduct.
James, food is for eating.
Act your child and his efforts.
Offer to help graciously.
Don't jump right in and take over.
Hey, James, can I help you with that?
Acknowledge effort as well as success.
Hey, that's a nice try.
You know what?
I think this shoe goes on this foot.
Yeah.
Let's take that off.
I have the same problem myself.
Here, let's try it on this foot.
That's going to feel a lot better.
There may also be times when expressing an I'm sorry sentiment to your toddler is appropriate.
Let's face it, none of us are perfect.
We all make mistakes when dealing with our children.
What we want to demonstrate for them is how to act when we do flub up.
Saying I'm sorry is important if we want them to be able to say it too.
If you live with a toddler, this feeling is probably very familiar.
Living with a toddler means dealing with ups and downs.
As your toddler vacillates between the joys and challenges of childhood, so do you.
At times he'll delight you with an unsolicited kiss or hug.
And at others he may make you want to.
How do parents handle it?
We ask them.
He's an explorer.
His curiosity level is incredibly high.
He's interested in absolutely everything that there is in the house.
No drawer or closet or door goes unopened.
It's a challenge because you want them to experience all the things that there are,
but there are some dangerous things in your home that you need to keep a close eye on
and make sure that they're not getting too far afield.
You have to keep up with them because they change so quickly and you forget at one point
what's safe becomes unsafe so quickly.
All of a sudden you turn around and she's learned how to reach the top of the table
or even further climb up on the table, which you hadn't realized could happen.
Once they get to be toddler age, they're starting to develop the ability to understand.
You try to reason.
Well, you can only reason so much with a child that age, but I think that's the first time
when they're feeling a little bit independent.
They're testing you.
They're going to see how much you're going to let them get away with.
So that's challenging and every child is different.
What worked for our first is certainly not working for our third.
We have a neighborhood play group that has for one been a great way to meet neighbors
and people in our similar situation and trade babysitting and so forth.
It's good for the children, especially Benjamin when it was just him, to get to play with
other children.
So every Friday we get together and the kids are all getting older now and we wonder if
we're meeting for them or for us.
We do a similar thing at church.
We get together every other week and the children play and the moms just commiserate mostly.
I guess in our mother's days they came over for coffee and this is our substitute for
the coffee.
Parents today must juggle their many roles as parent, spouse and working person figuratively
and literally.
Parents who also work outside the home face challenges that are common to many and yet
unique to each family.
Daycare looms is probably the single most critical concern.
Research however shows that in general there are no ill effects on toddlers when they have
good quality substitute care.
But what constitutes good quality child care for toddlers?
The answer to that question is found throughout this program.
What toddlers need, whether from their parents or other caregivers, are safe environments,
interesting places with toys, materials and furnishings that challenge them, opportunities
to explore and understand their world, adults who spend time playing, talking and reading
with them, adults who guide their behavior firmly and consistently but with understanding
and of course love, especially yours.
Although toddlers don't strictly need additional adults in their lives, the loving nurturance
of a good daycare provider is a plus.
Despite our fears, such attention won't lead a toddler to become more attached to the caregiver
than to you, his parents.
We asked what should you look for when choosing a daycare and what can you do to make your
toddler's daycare experience a positive one?
When you're making the decision about your child care arrangement you want to make sure
it's very consistent for your child.
It's very important for it being successful for you and your child.
In general you want it to be a safe environment where staff are interacting very positively
with children and it's a very caring and nurturing environment.
There are five key indicators of a quality child care program.
You want to look at the interactions among the staff and the children in that setting.
You want to look at the interactions between the staff and the parents, the program curriculum,
the environment, that's the physical environment, also the center's administration.
As far as the interactions between staff and children, you want to make sure that they're
substantive kind of interactions.
They're very positive in nurturing, they're individualized with your child.
You want to make sure that staff are at the level of the children and by that I mean at
the physical level, they're not shouting at the children.
I think that it's just kind of a warm, nurturing kind of interactions.
Interactions among staff and parents should be frequent.
We recommend daily.
There should also be formal parent conferences and formal parent meetings.
It's very important that parents and staff communicate together often.
It's important that there's again consistency between the home and the school and that's
only possible when you know what's going on in each setting.
As far as the physical environment, in general you want the tone, you want to feel good about
the, when you walk into the place where your children are, you want it to be an exciting
place for the children to go, very I think inviting to them and again you want to make
sure it's safe and healthy.
The center administration, you want to make sure that there's someone in charge that knows
what they're doing.
They have a child development background and also administration.
They're looking at key things like how is the program staffed, is there consistency
among the staff?
Do they make sure there's the minimal amount of changes for the children that they're in
general with one group of teachers?
Another key thing is looking at how they, are they continually developing the staff.
Professional development is very important for quality.
And the fifth area was the program curriculum and I think it's important that that is appropriate
to the age of the child that we feel that children learn best through discovery, they
learn best from interacting with adults and their peers and that children, when children
make choices and you want to make sure that those kinds of things are set up for the children.
I think it's really important that you look very closely at the group sizes and the ratios.
When you're looking for the appropriate class size and ratios for the one to three year
old, there are some differences depending on the exact age.
An infant is approximately up to 14 months and there the group size is 12 with a ratio
of one to four and the toddler is 14 months to two years with a group size of 15 and a
ratio of one to five.
And then the two to three year old has a group size of 16 with a ratio of one to eight.
I think guilt is an emotion that all parents feel when they're facing the idea of daycare.
I have a child in daycare myself and went through a lot of guilt feelings when I was
adjusting to the experience and I found what helped me and also what I talked to parents
about and seems to help them is number one you need to look and decide if you're working
and using child care is the right decision for you and your family.
And once you make that decision, then you need to make sure that you choose the best
child care provider and setting for your child.
I think also you need to look carefully at if you're continually feeling guilty and continually
feeling uncomfortable that that might not be the right decision for you and then you
have to look at you know what changes you're going to make.
Parenting today is a very personal matter.
It goes to the very hearts of us, who we are and who we want our children to be.
What we've seen is that the happiest most effective families are those who are doing
what is right for them at their particular stage.
Living with a toddler means living with ups and downs with the intense highs and lows
that characterize that special time of small steps and giant leaps.
It means recognizing toddlers as a breed apart.
The way they walk with heads and tummies too big for their bodies, the way they cling and
run away.
They're bright and hungry to learn.
While they fall asleep in your arms, they need their freedom and tethers of love.
They are a joy that cries.
They are in constant motion, standing still.
They don't need your help till they want it.
We celebrate their first step and dread their first fall.
We try so hard to hear when all we have to do is listen.
I'm Michael Learned for AAL.
Thank you.