Walking on faith...

Our daughter has started walking a couple of days after her birthday and it is quite interesting and heartening to see her advance so quickly from those tentative unsure steps to practically flying now. In fact, she's walking so fast that we had to buy her proper walking shoes to stop her foot from pronating (yet another new word i learn as a parent). Outcome? She's walking even faster now! *fainted*

There is something about watching your child toddle around the place. First, rather unsteadily, holding on to stuff on the way during her mini-breaks from walking. You can see her planning how to get from the sofa to the room by holding on to the chaise, the dining room chair and the corridor wall ... or maybe i'm just imagining that bit, although it was still a bit of a shock to realise she had walked all the way to her room. LOL

Speaking of parenting styles, there's a WSJ article (hattip to ww) that seems quite accurate, since we noticed that we both have different parenting styles. We do adapt from each other's so sometimes we swap the 'mothering' and 'fathering' roles, but i do believe it is working well together. I feel like hugging my daughter after reading the article..... =)

Some excerpts from the article:

Minor injuries
DADS: Tend to distract the child by directing her attention to another activity or carrying her to another part of the playground. This can help kids develop the resiliency needed to shake off small setbacks and move on.
MOMS: Tend to comfort and soothe the child and encourage her to talk about what she is feeling. This can help a child feel secure and safe and express emotions in words.

Playtime:
DADS: Interactions are more rambunctious and physical. Dads are more likely to startle babies, laugh, play physical games such as tossing them in the air, and spark peaks of emotion or excitement. This is believed to help kids develop self-regulatory skills.
MOMS: Tend to interact face-to-face with babies, babbling back and forth, responding to subtle shifts in facial expressions and touching the baby affectionately. This is believed to teach children to read facial expressions, use words to communicate and to enjoy close, intimate contact.