Middle of the Night Request

It is not unusual to have Child #2 visit me in the middle of the night. Usually, it is to tell me she needs to go potty because she thinks it is better to ask than just to use the potty and “wake up Daddy.” (I have tried to explain to her that I am going to always tell her to go use the potty and adding verbage will only increase the chances of waking up Daddy, but she does still occasionally do this.) Sometimes, it is a water bottle that needs to be refilled or “freshened.” But last night was different.

Child #2 came in and after I acknowledged her, she said, “Can I have a toothpick or a needle?”

I was puzzled. Splinter? Something stuck in her teeth? It was 3:30 a.m. and knowing the huge difference between the usage of these two devices, I asked for clarification.

“My nose is stuffed up and I want to clean it out.”

Ahhh. As we headed for a tissue box, I gently explained that neither a toothpick or a needle would be appropriate. I led her through blowing her nose (one nostril at a time, then both together) and sent her back to her room with another tissue.

I wouldn’t want to think of what would have happened if I would have just given her a toothpick without asking why. *OUCH*

She reports that she feels fine today. We will see if that is the beginning of a cold or just a fluke. (Probably, it is the latter.)

Different Personalities

All my kids are different. Each one has his or her own personality, way of communicating, learning style, favorite activities, and way of interacting with others. This is evident every day.

Take yesterday, for instance. It was a beautiful day, so after we finished our school work, I encouraged everyone to be outside to enjoy the warm weather while it was here. The oldest went out with a book. Number 2 child went looking for some chalk to draw with. Number 3 got out a bike. Number 4 went straight for the dirt.

Later, while #1 & #2 children were playing with a neighbor, #3 came inside and fell asleep on the couch. After waking up from a rare nap a bit crabby, she went to her room where she curled up on the floor quietly. My spouse attempted to find out what was wrong, but the child would not answer. When I came home from the grocery store with #4, I found her temperature was 102.3°F.

It is interesting that this child’s reaction to feeling sick is to go be by herself and not bother anyone. Her immediate older sibling (Child #2) would have been throwing herself around the room, wailing, crying, and trying everything to let people know she didn’t feel well! The dramatics would have continued for as long as she could keep them up in her ill state (usually a remarkably long time).

Each child has their own way of doing things and I love each of them for it. For example, I actually have a chance of getting a “spit bucket” to Child #2 before she throws up because she makes so much noise prior to the event. Child #1 would wake me up after throwing up. Child #3 would throw up, make no other sound, then go back to sleep – meaning I would find the situation several hours later.

Children Behaving In Public

We had all four kids along when we picked out a replacement stove (range top/oven) recently at a large store. Our current oven has “issues” that involve kicking off randomly usually at temperatures over 350° F. It is hard to consistently cook or bake things when the oven won’t stay at temperature and beeps error codes at you even when turned off. As it is “old enough” (12-13 yrs old) to warrant replacement and we’d already tried replacing some parts, we decided to just buy a new one.

After doing some research on the internet, we headed out to touch some models in a store with our own hands. My spouse was wooed by some of the flashy things on a few of the high price models. I knew our budget and just wanted something that isn’t too fancy that will consistently work. While we were opening doors, checking buttons, and seeing if the knobs on each model are removable, the kids were nearby . . . not getting into too much trouble.

We both had to chase down wandering kids a couple of times and repeatedly tell them to “not touch” things (which was very hypocritical since we were touching things constantly). In the end, the salesperson we dealt with complimented the children on their wonderful behavior and offered us a $10 gift certificate to a nearby CANDY store so they could pick something out as a reward.

I have to balance this positive story with one from just over a year ago. I had all four kids with me and I was just trying to find some sandals for the two older kids. It had been a long morning for me and I was waiting to check out at a mall department store shoe counter. All of a sudden, a woman behind me exploded with an “Well, I NEVER!”

I turned around and she told me that my oldest had just stuck her tongue out at the woman for “no reason.” She then went on to lecture me about raising children and informed me that she had several children of her own (now grown) and NONE of THEM would ever have done such a thing. After some questioning of both the woman and my daughter, I assured the woman that I would see to it that my daughter receive a suitable punishment but did not indicate to her what it would be or when I would be administering it. She looked at me closely and then said she believed me.

Some days you feel like a nut. Some days you don’t. (I’ve definitely had both.)

Inauguration

We covered what an “inauguration” is and what today means for the United States in terms of power change in a peaceful fashion. My oldest wanted to see what the new President looks like and I thought it would be a good experience for the kids to see the swearing in of the new President. Since we don’t have television access at our house, we called a neighbor ahead of time and arranged to watch a few minutes of the coverage on their big screen T.V.

They especially liked to see how Yo-Yo Ma seemed to be having such a good time playing the cello. They were amazed to see all the people there. They didn’t have much else to say, although Child #2 was worried about some of the things she thought President Obama said in his speech. Near the beginning, for example, she thought he said something about sacrificing babies.

Some people might be shocked to find out that my kids didn’t know what President Obama looked like. But, they didn’t know what President Bush looked like. They didn’t know what any of the candidates for President looked like. We had discussed many of them and their differing political positions over the last couple of years, however.

It was a good school day, a great learning experience, and hopefully something the older two will remember to some extent when they are older.

May God watch over this country and help us with the challenge that lies ahead of us.

Grim Thoughts / Musings on Kids

I responded to a friend’s email about politics the other night with a hugely negative overtone. As I went on and on about how neither major presidential candidate will be able to get the US out of the mess we are in, I realized how depressing it would be to read. So, I ended up by attaching some smiling pictures of my kids – including one of my youngest sitting in a pile of spices that he had emptied out of an almost full container of parsley (or was it oregano?). I listed a few things about each kid and finished with some thoughts on what keeps me going.

So, first some required reading:
- How did we get into this mess?
- One person’s opinion on what is coming.

Now, what I ended on, my kid notes – edited slightly for privacy.
Child #4 says only, “DaDa,” but understands quite a bit of what is said around him. He is a climber and has a habit of climbing chairs and other furniture to get at things he shouldn’t be into.

Child #3 continues to be quite verbose and is showing a memory just as impressive as Child #1′s at the same age. Her mind works at levels I had not imagined a two year old’s could.

Child #2 continues to be my artistic, imaginative, and soulful child. She is a girly-girl (always wearing a dress) but also the one who searches out every bug/worm/insect and animal within sight.

Child #1 is a leader (although not always a good one) and a great helper. She loves to go for bike rides with her dad and play with the oodles of children on our block.

They are all very different from one another and challenge me to be a better person and mom every day. It is amazing to be there when your child first grasps that _all by herself_, she can figure out that certain letters strung together tell a story that is fun to read! It is rewarding to see the smile on another’s face when she ‘beats the clock’ in her oral arithmetic practice. The little impish grin on a smudged face when you find her making mud pies with your cooking utensils is priceless. And everyone should see the backward “I know I’m not supposed to do this, but I’m going to do it anyway” look that my small boy gives me when he heads towards some forbidden object or destination.