We told our little farmer that the art of blueberry picking entails finding the bluest blueberry. It shouldn’t have a hint of red because it will still be sour. He listened carefully, and followed our advice. Later, he suggested to us that tasting blueberries should be part of the blueberry picking strategy. Makes sense…right? I think so.
One day when our son is older my wife and I kind of expect him to be responsible and helpful, especially in the house. So, we have started to somewhat train him to help us with our chores, along with doing other stuff. And the way we go about this is by saying “Can you help me…”. At the moment we find that this works better than simply ordering him around…for example, “Put away your…”. So here’s a short list of things we think that will help our son simply become a better person in the future.
Can you help me ….
…put away the toys? (Even if it takes longer to do overall).
…put the clothes in the dryer? (Even if it’s a few garments).
…fold the clothes? (Even if it’s a bad folding job).
…read the newspaper? (Even if its looking at pictures).
…make the bed? (Even if its just tossing the covers around).
…get your red cup? (Even if you have to show where it is).
…organize your shoes? (Even if you do 90% of the work).
…throw away the trash? (Even if you hold the bag, and he just walks with you).
Give it a try, and let me know how it goes!
The past few mornings I found myself wanting to sleep longer. I guess it has something to do with the days becoming shorter, the nights becoming longer, and the weather being cooler. So, when I go to wake up the little man I can tell he’s on the same page as I am. He does not want to get out of bed….he just wants to stay under the covers. And honestly, I don’t want to wake him up. He sleeps peacefully, and looks cozy. I feel that he should just sleep until he wakes himself up. However, either my wife or I has to do the dirty work, and wake him up so he can get to school on time. Someone must wake up sleeping beauty, or in this case…the sleeping dragon 🙂 I guess this is part of parenthood. Do things you really don’t want to do even if it is something so minor like waking up a child from an awesome dream.
Now that the little man is a chatterbox, and can basically respond to questions, my wife and I have come across a new problem. How do you get your child to listen to you when they come back with responses that make you chuckle? 🙂 Here are a few conversations with a soon-to-be 3 year old.
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Between daddy and son
Daddy: Could you please take your feet off the table while we eat.
Son (while leaning back in the chair and smiling): No daddy, I’m relaxing.
Daddy: Of course you are…makes sense. What was I thinking. 🙂
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Between mummy and son
Mummy: Can you please walk down the stairs properly.
Son (while sliding down the steps and jumping): No mummy.
Mummy: You shouldn’t do that. You might get a boo-boo.
Son (singing while arms out): Let it go, let it go…(lyrics from Frozen)
Mummy: I need to let go…huh? 🙂
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Between daddy and son
Daddy: Lets put on your jacket. It will keep you warm.
Son: I don’t need a jacket. I have you.
Daddy: You want me to just hug you all day! 🙂
Son: Yeah!
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Unexpected responses that make you laugh, smile, and melt.
Whenever my son comes to me, and says, “I have to go potty”, my immediate response is always to say, “really…now?” Then I think for a few seconds, and drop whatever we are doing, and tell him, “alright…let’s go!” For some reason, I am always shocked when he tells me this. I guess I cannot get over the fact he has become trained in taking care of his personal business. 🙂
So when did the little man figure out all this potty business? I have no idea…..it just happened. The only thing I do know is that when a child is potty trained…it’s awesome! 🙂
Reading books to our son before bedtime is back in action! This shouldn’t be that big of deal, but it is to me. I am actually pumped up about this!!! 🙂 You see, we kind of stopped reading to him at night for a little while….we fell out of our routine. So, this weekend the goal is to find some new children books at the local library and book store. Hopefully getting back to this evening routine will help the little man prepare for school and go to bed early. 🙂
I should be more careful in what I teach the little man because sooner or later I just may regret it. You see, a few months ago I taught him the word “Rock and Roll”, and what “Rock and Roll” means. So every time we are in the car he asks for “Rock and Roll”. At first I really didn’t mind it, and honestly it was actually awesome. He remembered what I taught him. He was learning a particular genre of music. Also, I enjoy these types of songs. However, nowadays whenever I try to put on Hip-Hop, Pop, Country, Classical, etc…my actions get shot down by a toddler saying “I want Rock and Roll”. So, what does a caring dad do? Simply fib, and bend the truth. 🙂 I tell him “all songs are Rock and Roll” or at least…”this song may not sound like Rock and Roll, but it is…just a little different”. 🙂 Lesson learned…think before speaking and teaching.
A few posts ago I mentioned my son was learning how to solve puzzles. Well, here he is at it again. Well, he basically does it everyday. 🙂 I’m really excited that he enjoys doing these games. We will always have something to do together especially on rainy days.
Our little farmer picked his own tomatoes from the backyard. It’s great seeing him do these simple things. Hopefully he doesn’t expect a farm-to-table dinner every night. 🙂
“Go away bad guy!” This is what the little man has been telling either my wife or I whenever we “bother” him. Luckily, my wife and I are a little thicker skinned so it does not bother us. We actually laugh about it. 🙂 However, I am sure someone else’s feelings will probably get hurt one day. Someone should really teach my son some manners. 🙂 Or we can just beat up the culprit who taught the little man this phrase.
Couple of weekends ago we took the little guy to a lake. It was his first time, and luckily…he loved it. We had a blast too! 🙂 We swam in warm water with a view of the beautiful white mountains. What more can you really want?
This past Sunday, my wife and I pushed our son to the limit, and eventually he had a meltdown. You see, the little man probably should’ve had a nap after hitting the beach, and eating pizza. However, we ignored his so-called nap time because my wife and I wanted ice cream. 🙂 I mean…when coffee ice cream with heath bar is calling your name you just have to get it….right?…oh yeah! 🙂 Also, it was National Ice Cream Day!
As we already know, the little man did have a meltdown which of course made it a little difficult to eat our dessert. We had to eat it fast while running around chasing an unhappy child. However, in retrospect, I would say it was still worth getting ice cream. We got our son to take part in an American pastime….eating ice cream outside on a beautiful summer day. And maybe the next time we try to do this again, the little man will be better even if he’s tired.
Daddy's Pride 