Your 14-month-old's social and emotional development: Going it alone

完全同意下面文章所寫的，一歲多的小孩喜歡和大人玩，比較沒興趣和小孩玩，不過每當我們說看看外面的小朋友，她總會把頭轉過去看小朋友，但也僅止於此。

New this month: Going it alone
Observe a group of 14-month-olds at the park and you'll note that they're basically loners. Socializing isn't really toddlers' thing, and at this age your child is unlikely to do anything more than engage in parallel play, during which he and his companions play side by side but don't interact — unless it's to grab whatever object another child is playing with.

While this may be frustrating for you, it's completely normal behavior. At this age your child doesn't think of his playmates as friends, or even people; they're objects. Since a 14-month-old is very much the center of his own universe, he thinks other children can be pushed, pulled, and poked the way a toy can. The only thing that really matters — to him — is what he wants. It's not selfishness — it's just the way everyone sees the world at this age.

What you can do
If your child doesn't interact very often with other children, either siblings or friends, this may be a good time to join a playgroup, or sign up for a fun activity such as a tumbling or music class. Exposing your toddler to a variety of social situations will help him become more comfortable interacting with others as he approaches preschool age.

The next time you go to a playground, look for places that your toddler can interact with other children. Here the "toys" belong to everyone, so taking turns is a must. Yes, toddlers may bicker over who gets to go down the slide first or who gets the first turn on the swing, but they'll quickly realize that there's plenty of fun to go around. Or, if you have a friend with a child who's about the same age as yours, you might put the kids into a bathtub or crib together (supervised, of course). In no time, they'll see how much fun it can be to play together.