August 14th, 2009As parents, our primary purpose is to teach our children. But good teachers are those who are open to learning new things as well, especially from those they are trying to teach. With that in mind, I’d like to share with you a few of the many things I have learned from my children.
“No” really means “yes”. And conversely, “yes” means “no”. Children are masters of the rule of opposites. The same rule applies with “later on” and “right now”. When they ask for a snack and you tell them, “No, but you can have one later on,” you can be sure they’ll take it to mean that yes, they can start stuffing their faces right then and there. But when you actually say, “right now,” as in “Clean up your room right now!”, it really means later on, as in sometime before they graduate from college.
If you are on the phone, they will act up. It’s gotta be some kind of kid code. As soon as you get on that phone, it’s like Chicken Little and the sky is falling. They could be fine and getting along with each other or might not have said a word to you for at least an hour, but you pick up that phone and they can’t last 10 seconds without trying to get your attention.
“I don’t know”. I don’t care what the question is. It’s the universal answer to everything. “Why did you do that?” “What happened here?” “Who made this mess?” “Why is the floor wet?” “Why is your brother crying?” You can try asking why they don’t know, but they’ll just go back to their original answer, “I don’t know”.
Uninterrupted conversations are a thing of the past. Good luck trying to talk to someone else while your kid is in the room. There’s always something that’s too important for them to wait for you to finish your conversation. In my experience, it’s usually about a toy, a commercial on TV, or something one of the other kids is doing.
If you’re leaving the house, they will poop. I can’t tell you the countless times we’ve been ready to walk out the door to go somewhere when I’ll catch a whiff of that all-too-familiar odor. It’s like their radar goes off when you’re getting ready to leave. Sock on, check. Shoes on, check. Fresh diaper, check. Okay, better make sure I poop. Don’t want to fresh diaper to go to waste. This also extends to older children who will wait until the last possible second before you are leaving to announce they need to go to the bathroom. And they really have a true talent for know when you’re running late, because that’s when they will do it the most.
Laughter is the best medicine. I’m not just talking about my own, though. It really makes my heart melt when I see them laughing and just enjoying life.
Just when you’ve figured it out, everything changes. Life changes, and so do kids. Just when you’re comfortable in a set pattern, they figure out some way to throw it out of whack and send you back to square one.
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Wow…this really sounds like my household!! When my kids were little, I experienced all that you are going through.
Now that I’m a grandma, nothing has changed!! My little grandson has still carried on the tradition!!
It never seems to end!!
You must be talking about my family too. Everytime I’m on the phone, it’s mommy this and mommy that!
Glad to see I’m not the only one experiencing this.
Trust me, Judy, you aren’t the only one! And I’m a mommy too!, how nice of your grandson to remind you of the good old days! I guess he wants to keep you on your toes, huh?
Hi, I am new to your site. I find your comments on the joys of parenthood refreshing! I could not agree with you more. No more are the Leave it to Beaver or Father Knows Best days of family life:-) When we watch the old reruns on tv, my daughter is just amazed on how “boring” she thinks they are. For me, it’s my fantasy on how simple I would LOVE my daily family life to be! The only worry would be Eddie Haskell coming for a visit or Larry and Beaver doing something silly! My days are filled with constant screaming, hair pulling, crying and teasing between my two older children! And of course it gets so much louder as soon as the telephone rings so that everyone on the other end can hear what a peaceful and harmonious home we have!
Oh, does this sound so familiar…..I have a story to share. My middle son always waited until we were either running late taking our older daughter to school or running late to pick her up from school when he would decide to make his “production.” Now, he is the middle child and yes, he’s at it again with his youngest sister. Now, he waits until it is time for me to pump (I breastfeed) for her when all of a sudden, I can smell that wonderful aroma as he buzzes right past me! What perfect timing!
Lily, kids always have a knack for timing, don’t they? I’ve had similar instances when I’ve been holding Nick while he was asleep and then have Chase come by with poop in his diaper. Try changing a poopy diaper one-handed!
Hi, Shannon! Welcome to the site. Do you notice that the kids in those shows are all older? They didn’t show those families with little toddlers running around. June Cleaver wouldn’t have the time or energy to put on her makeup and pearls while she vacummed the floor in her ironed dress if Wally and Beaver were still toddlers.
Shannon’s reply is right on!!
When I was little, I always thought I’d like to be like June Cleaver.
When I was a mom 3 times, the June Cleaver idea went right out the window!!