Very late in the evening, someone made the mistake of asking me what I’ve learned from our little bundles of wonder; aged 8 and 7 when this was published.
So here goes…
It takes approximately three times the flushable wipes for a young child to clean their own butt. And about three times longer.
Turning off the TV while a child is sleeping WILL wake said child within a few minutes. But only if you don’t want them to wake up. If you want them to wake up, they won’t.
Anything that can write will instinctively be used to write on walls. And doors. And windows. And floors. And themselves. And pets. And…well, you get the idea.
A child can find inappropriate videos on YouTube in about a nanosecond. Although, if you want to find something inappropriate; it takes hours.
Our dog can make a sound like she’s gagging. Just give her a taste of mustard.
A kiss or a Band-Aid can fix anything. Especially invisible boo boos. And stuffed animals have lots of boo boos.
Walrus (Drama King’s favorite stuffed animal) tried to avoid being tortured loved by hiding in the stuffed animal box. The bottom of the box. Which had to be dumped out. Onto the floor. Because Drama King was scared to sleep tonight. And I dumped, searched, found, and re-boxed said stuffed animals. Because “I’m the best mommy ever.”
Hearing your child say ‘I love you’ melts your heart. And it happens no matter how many times they say it.
If you buy an expensive toy and it comes in a box, the box will get more use than the toy. The more expensive the toy, the more useful the box.
Smashed pennies are fantastic souvenirs. Fun to make, cheap and easy to display in a smashed penny passport. Wait until they discover smashed quarters. Still fun to make. Not so cheap. Have yet to see a smashed quarter passport.
Mommies are great! Daddies are, too! Well, that is until a child wants to eat. Or gets a boo boo. Or wants to cuddle. Or needs a drink. Or…Well, you get the idea. Children will pick a favorite parent or adult and that will certainly vary, sometimes for unknown reasons.
Cooking with a child takes much longer than cooking alone. But they learn a lot. And it opens the floor for many conversations.
I wrote all of these at 4:30 in the morning (months ago) while Daddy cuddled with a scared Drama King and I tended to Little T’s food and drink needs. Because Little T got a 10 minute nap and woke up hungry and ready for the day to start again.
