Although we haven't moved beyond the "why?" stage we have also been in the "what if" stage - no one told me about this one.
This means we hear things like:
--What if you were walking down the street and you saw a shark and Batman walking down the street too?
--What if your ears were on your belly? How could you hear if your ears were covered with your shirt?
--What if your feet were on your head, you'd have to walk on your head.
--What if we went to Como Town and they said we had a million points to ride the bumper cars? [his favorite activity, he would ride the bumper cars all day if we let him]
And sometimes it's followed up with - "could you imagine that?!"
S informed me yesterday that our minds don't work the same - and I wholeheartedly agreed, explaining we're all unique there's no other S out there in the world and that's what makes us all special, and it's okay (even good) to have a different take on the world.
That's one of the great things about all the questions he comes up with - it gives me a new perspective on the world and forces me to think about small things in different ways. Although not a why or what if question, we also get a lot of questions about what words mean - what does sneaky mean or failed, try being a child's dictionary for a few hours to really clarify your own thinking and biases....
Monday, September 13, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Cool!
I am going to try being better at posting some of the funny things S says, so here's a couple:
We're in the car and he's trying on Geoff's hard hat, he puts it on backwards and says,
"This is how cool kids wear their hats. Are you a cool adult?"
In preparation for my camping trip this year he had some good advice on keeping the bears away,
"You could try throwing a cookie at it." or
"You should go find the mama bear and tell her so she can tell the baby bear not to take your food."
We're in the car and he's trying on Geoff's hard hat, he puts it on backwards and says,
"This is how cool kids wear their hats. Are you a cool adult?"
In preparation for my camping trip this year he had some good advice on keeping the bears away,
"You could try throwing a cookie at it." or
"You should go find the mama bear and tell her so she can tell the baby bear not to take your food."
Thursday, July 15, 2010
A truly amazing librarian
Every two weeks, we have the privilege of visiting the bookmobile (bookmeal as S says). It parks in the church parking lot down the street from our house and is filled with kids books. We have been going for about two years now and the librarian knows us well - she's really great with kids, even gave S his own library card. She recommends books and orders whatever S asks for, even when it's Clifford's Christmas and it happens to be June.
Here's the routine - we pick out books, S pulls the stool over to the desk hands her his books and library card then asks if he can have a sticker. She pulls out a little box and he can pick a sticker. Then S says, "do you have any tattoos?" When we first started going to the bookmobile there were stickers and tattoos in the box. The tattoos were pathetic, I don't think we ever had one that actually stuck to S's arm. But still, week after week he asked for a tattoo. Eventually they ran out of tattoos and never replenished the supply. They probably ran out a year ago, maybe longer, but still S asks if she has any tattoos.
Two weeks ago we visit the bookmobile, S asks for a sticker and a tattoo and the librarian says she doesn't have any tattoos but she'll look into getting some. She then says, if I'm going to be getting tattoos, I should get what you want, what kind of tattoos would you like. S declares "dogs." She then looks at us and asks where to get tattoos, we have no great insight, I suggest the dollar store but say we usually just get them at give aways. She says she'll try to find some dog tattoos.
Two weeks later we arrive at the bookmobile, excited to pick up all the books S has ordered, and there is a different librarian there. S asks if she has any books for him, she asks his name, he tells her, and she hands him a little envelope. We open it and find a note that reads:
S-
Sorry I can't be here tonight. Here are some tattoos I found for you. See you in two weeks.
And inside the envelope were some dog tattoos. S was beyond excited and it warmed my heart.
In two weeks we'll have to be sure to say thank you. What a truly special woman - who makes visiting the library an adventure we never want to miss.
Here's the routine - we pick out books, S pulls the stool over to the desk hands her his books and library card then asks if he can have a sticker. She pulls out a little box and he can pick a sticker. Then S says, "do you have any tattoos?" When we first started going to the bookmobile there were stickers and tattoos in the box. The tattoos were pathetic, I don't think we ever had one that actually stuck to S's arm. But still, week after week he asked for a tattoo. Eventually they ran out of tattoos and never replenished the supply. They probably ran out a year ago, maybe longer, but still S asks if she has any tattoos.
Two weeks ago we visit the bookmobile, S asks for a sticker and a tattoo and the librarian says she doesn't have any tattoos but she'll look into getting some. She then says, if I'm going to be getting tattoos, I should get what you want, what kind of tattoos would you like. S declares "dogs." She then looks at us and asks where to get tattoos, we have no great insight, I suggest the dollar store but say we usually just get them at give aways. She says she'll try to find some dog tattoos.
Two weeks later we arrive at the bookmobile, excited to pick up all the books S has ordered, and there is a different librarian there. S asks if she has any books for him, she asks his name, he tells her, and she hands him a little envelope. We open it and find a note that reads:
S-
Sorry I can't be here tonight. Here are some tattoos I found for you. See you in two weeks.
And inside the envelope were some dog tattoos. S was beyond excited and it warmed my heart.
In two weeks we'll have to be sure to say thank you. What a truly special woman - who makes visiting the library an adventure we never want to miss.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Pig Pig
S has taken to snorting, and of course thinks it's hysterical. We have been trying to discourage him. Yesterday I explained that it's not a very nice noise and other people don't want to have to listen to it. The conversation ended up with, "if I'm alone in my room can I snort."
Me: Yes
Flash forward a couple of hours. S is attempting to get out of taking his nap. I tell him that he can choose not to sleep but he needs to rest quietly in his bed - he can look at books, sing to himself, whatever he wants, he just needs to rest [and stop screaming for us]. As I'm walking out of his room he says, "can I snort?"
Me: Yes
S: Lots of giggling, then "okay."
A couple minutes later we hear him start snorting then hysterical laughing. This doesn't last long. Five minutes later same thing, snort, snort, snort, laughing, snort, snort.
Good thing he couldn't see us because we were laughing hysterically also as S put himself to sleep by snorting like a pig.
Me: Yes
Flash forward a couple of hours. S is attempting to get out of taking his nap. I tell him that he can choose not to sleep but he needs to rest quietly in his bed - he can look at books, sing to himself, whatever he wants, he just needs to rest [and stop screaming for us]. As I'm walking out of his room he says, "can I snort?"
Me: Yes
S: Lots of giggling, then "okay."
A couple minutes later we hear him start snorting then hysterical laughing. This doesn't last long. Five minutes later same thing, snort, snort, snort, laughing, snort, snort.
Good thing he couldn't see us because we were laughing hysterically also as S put himself to sleep by snorting like a pig.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
What I'm learning
I'm learning a lot about myself as a parent and a lot about the world in general, here's some of the "wisdom":
1. When a kid makes up words you end up hearing things like so and so "is a hooker" or "fucker" and then need to try not to laugh
2. Kindness and respect are really important to me - not a major revelation - but the way it warms my heart when he spontaneously says things like "you're welcome over to our house any time" to his friend across the street or "welcome back we missed you" to a teacher who was gone for a week. I only hope this is a sign of what's to come.
3. At 3, my kid knows more than me about many things and he's happy to explain them - why there are rainbows, how you can tell that the dinosaur is a parasophalophus, the hand motion the officials do in a basketball game when a player is called for traveling (no idea where he learned that) and the list goes on.
4. When you whine about something it's called "acting like a toddler."
5. We happen to have a kid who is generally a rule follower - he knows the rules and is happy to tell you when you're not following them (like telling strangers it's not safe to ride your bike without a helmet or it's not kind to splash people by jumping in a puddle). He also gets the concept of "school" - i.e. listening to a teacher, following the rules, sitting quietly and waiting your turn, etc. Not all kids know this or behave this way and it's okay for S to be around that - it's a hard but important lesson to learn that just because someone else is doing something doesn't mean you should too.
6. I am trying to live more by the motto - Don't be so quick to judge. This hit me a couple of times recently. First when there was a news story about a mom ignoring her son because she was on a cell phone or iTouch or something and eventually the kid bit her to get her attention. The assumption of the story was "bad parenting". What if we stepped back to see an overworked exhausted parent, a kid who talks nonstop all day and is learning patience, is it so horrible to make him wait a minute (without biting of course) for a parent's attention? The second was at swim class. Two boys in the class were totally not paying attention, doing their own thing, and running around splashing all the other kids. The parents were 10 feet away and did nothing. My initial reaction was, who let's their kids act like that. If that was S I would pull him out of the pool and explain he needs to listen to the teacher, it ruins the class for the other kids, it's not safe, etc. etc. Then I see a very pregnant mother who is parent to one of the boys, okay she's tired, this is probably what she deals with all the time, she may be out of energy for the moment to deal with it. My explanation goes in many other directions as well, most not as understanding, but I'm trying to go with, don't be so quick to judge - we all do the best can with the cards we're dealt at the moment, a different time and place and the scene would play out very differently.
7. It's really hard not to laugh at times - conversation between S and dad in the car:
S: (adjusting his car seat belt) is this okay so it's not cutting into my neck?
Dad: Yes. (then to me) Did you tell him that?
Me: Yes, he's been moving the chest strap up to his neck and down to his belly so I was telling him where to keep it for safety.
Dad: (to S) Remember when you asked mom about your nipples?
S: Yes.
Dad: Do you remember where they are?
S: Yes.
Dad: Point to them.
S: (points to his nipples)
Dad: The buckle goes right across your nipples.
[Flash back a week or two, S standing in the bathroom with no shirt, pointing to both nipples. What are these momma? Your nipples. What are these squishy things under your nipples? Now really how am I supposed to answer these questions without a chuckle?]
1. When a kid makes up words you end up hearing things like so and so "is a hooker" or "fucker" and then need to try not to laugh
2. Kindness and respect are really important to me - not a major revelation - but the way it warms my heart when he spontaneously says things like "you're welcome over to our house any time" to his friend across the street or "welcome back we missed you" to a teacher who was gone for a week. I only hope this is a sign of what's to come.
3. At 3, my kid knows more than me about many things and he's happy to explain them - why there are rainbows, how you can tell that the dinosaur is a parasophalophus, the hand motion the officials do in a basketball game when a player is called for traveling (no idea where he learned that) and the list goes on.
4. When you whine about something it's called "acting like a toddler."
5. We happen to have a kid who is generally a rule follower - he knows the rules and is happy to tell you when you're not following them (like telling strangers it's not safe to ride your bike without a helmet or it's not kind to splash people by jumping in a puddle). He also gets the concept of "school" - i.e. listening to a teacher, following the rules, sitting quietly and waiting your turn, etc. Not all kids know this or behave this way and it's okay for S to be around that - it's a hard but important lesson to learn that just because someone else is doing something doesn't mean you should too.
6. I am trying to live more by the motto - Don't be so quick to judge. This hit me a couple of times recently. First when there was a news story about a mom ignoring her son because she was on a cell phone or iTouch or something and eventually the kid bit her to get her attention. The assumption of the story was "bad parenting". What if we stepped back to see an overworked exhausted parent, a kid who talks nonstop all day and is learning patience, is it so horrible to make him wait a minute (without biting of course) for a parent's attention? The second was at swim class. Two boys in the class were totally not paying attention, doing their own thing, and running around splashing all the other kids. The parents were 10 feet away and did nothing. My initial reaction was, who let's their kids act like that. If that was S I would pull him out of the pool and explain he needs to listen to the teacher, it ruins the class for the other kids, it's not safe, etc. etc. Then I see a very pregnant mother who is parent to one of the boys, okay she's tired, this is probably what she deals with all the time, she may be out of energy for the moment to deal with it. My explanation goes in many other directions as well, most not as understanding, but I'm trying to go with, don't be so quick to judge - we all do the best can with the cards we're dealt at the moment, a different time and place and the scene would play out very differently.
7. It's really hard not to laugh at times - conversation between S and dad in the car:
S: (adjusting his car seat belt) is this okay so it's not cutting into my neck?
Dad: Yes. (then to me) Did you tell him that?
Me: Yes, he's been moving the chest strap up to his neck and down to his belly so I was telling him where to keep it for safety.
Dad: (to S) Remember when you asked mom about your nipples?
S: Yes.
Dad: Do you remember where they are?
S: Yes.
Dad: Point to them.
S: (points to his nipples)
Dad: The buckle goes right across your nipples.
[Flash back a week or two, S standing in the bathroom with no shirt, pointing to both nipples. What are these momma? Your nipples. What are these squishy things under your nipples? Now really how am I supposed to answer these questions without a chuckle?]
Thursday, June 10, 2010
When I'm 16....
I know I'm the worst blogger ever, but that isn't going to stop me from a few more posts.
Here's the conversation S and I had in the car yesterday:
S: Why am I too young to drive?
It's the law, you have to be 16 to drive.
S: When will I be 16?
In 13 years, how old are you now?
S: 3
13 plus 3 equals 16.
S: What else can I do when I'm 16?
[Note: it feels like we've been talking a lot lately about what you can do when you're older so I'm trying to make all the things he can do now sound cool and all the things he can do later sound less interesting.]
Go to high school. Cross the street without holding a hand.
S: Maybe walk away from the house by myself without a grownup.
Yep.
S: Chew gum while I'm walking around [since the Grand Old Day parade where he received lots of gum he's been fascinated so we gave him piece to try, two chews and he was done but was very proud, but it came with rules like you need to be sitting down and with a grown up]
Umm, stay up late and sleep late. Play football.
S: (Lots of giggling with excitement, just anticipating all the fun things he can do.) What else?
Ummmm.......
Here's the conversation S and I had in the car yesterday:
S: Why am I too young to drive?
It's the law, you have to be 16 to drive.
S: When will I be 16?
In 13 years, how old are you now?
S: 3
13 plus 3 equals 16.
S: What else can I do when I'm 16?
[Note: it feels like we've been talking a lot lately about what you can do when you're older so I'm trying to make all the things he can do now sound cool and all the things he can do later sound less interesting.]
Go to high school. Cross the street without holding a hand.
S: Maybe walk away from the house by myself without a grownup.
Yep.
S: Chew gum while I'm walking around [since the Grand Old Day parade where he received lots of gum he's been fascinated so we gave him piece to try, two chews and he was done but was very proud, but it came with rules like you need to be sitting down and with a grown up]
Umm, stay up late and sleep late. Play football.
S: (Lots of giggling with excitement, just anticipating all the fun things he can do.) What else?
Ummmm.......
Monday, January 25, 2010
What I overheard....
in the curling club locker room.
Parent: "She said, you love that kid, but I love him more."
The rest is a recap of the discussion that followed, but not direct quotes.
Parent: I thought how could you love him more, I'm his mother. She said it very lovingly, it wasn't meant to be hurtful, and I could tell she really meant it and believed it.
Grandparent: It's true, grandparents love their grandkids more than their parents love them. It's different because they're not yours, and they're not a given, and you could lose them at any time. It's a really special relationship.
What else is there to say?
Parent: "She said, you love that kid, but I love him more."
The rest is a recap of the discussion that followed, but not direct quotes.
Parent: I thought how could you love him more, I'm his mother. She said it very lovingly, it wasn't meant to be hurtful, and I could tell she really meant it and believed it.
Grandparent: It's true, grandparents love their grandkids more than their parents love them. It's different because they're not yours, and they're not a given, and you could lose them at any time. It's a really special relationship.
What else is there to say?
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