Skip to main content

Lots to Learn


 A while back I had a conversation with a friend.  Yes, I have friends.  

Fine...it was an acquaintance.

The point is, we got on the topics of school as is often the case.  She mentioned that she had asked a kindergarten teacher what she would like kids to know when they started school.  The teacher, she said, wanted kids to come in knowing the basics. 

I considered that our boys know their colors, shapes, numbers and letters and proceeded to mentally pat myself on the back and breathe a sigh of relief.   

Then she continued to say, the basics like personal hygiene, how to wipe their own bottoms, get dressed after using the bathroom, wash their hands, and open the food in their lunch pails...

My heart sank as I looked at our youngest with his shirt on backwards, his pants on backwards, undoubtedly his underwear on backwards and his socks upside down.  Then I looked at our oldest, his boxers were bunched so high that the legs were above the waistline of his pants, and that was because he had just dropped his pants to his ankles to pee on a tree...next to the road...at the park where we were having lunch.  

That's when I realized we have a lot of work to do in a few short months.  

Captain Clogger, has to learn toilet paper portion control and proper wiping technique.  The Black Handed Bandit is going to have to learn what soap is.  Both boys, have atrocious table manners.  Suddenly, I am very aware of how much they use their hands to eat and how they wait until their mouths are filled to maximum capacity before they try to talk.  Forget finishing school, does anybody teach starting school???     


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Little Bit Dicey

 This might be a little controversial.  I try to steer clear of such topics in this space, but it needs to be said.  Take it as you will, but know that it comes from a place of love, concern, and respect.  Here it is: there is a right  way to cut an onion. Now, I'm not saying this to try and get anyone's dander up.  I'm just saying it's a subject that needs to be addressed in kitchens across America.  There may be more than one right way to skin a cat (I can't say I've tested that), but the same does not hold true for onions.  Please, you can teach an old dog new tricks - learn how to properly cut an onion.  It will save you time, frustration, onion tears, and possibly a finger.     Now, since I'm still sitting here on blogspot like it's 2003, I'm not going to post any how-to videos, but I'll do the next best thing.  I'll paste a link right here .    Check it out.  Practice it.  Make it a habit.  T...

How to Tame a Toddler (and other myths in parenting)

I used to think I had started to hone my parenting skills.  Fischer was a much more mellow toddler than Sawyer, and I credited Ross and myself having the experience of one child under our belts.  It turns out, I was wrong.  Fischer was just a more mellow toddler .  That, or we have substantially regressed in our skills since having the twins.  It could be that. They are terrorists.   Nobody and nothing is off limits.   Our walls are covered in crayon and pencil.  Our new kitchen table has been branded with marker.  There is crayon on the windows.  My cupboards and drawers are empty.  My counter tops are full. They have figured out how to climb up on the table, and how to climb onto the windowsill and over the back of the couch, how to climb out of their cribs, and how to climb out of their clothes!       Our boys did not do these things.   I wasn't prepared.   I thought we had a plan...

The Tales They Will Tell

Every season has it's enjoyment, but I feel like we really ramp up the "memory making" in the summer months.  Maybe it's because we have Ross home and more time for doing things out of the ordinary.  We have a more flexible schedule and more freedom to do "fun" things.  I enjoy thinking about what the kids will remember from these days.  They are still pretty young so it may be just a feeling that stays with them or a vague recollection here and there, but I hope they remember it was a good time of life.    A couple of days ago they boys went with Ross and loaded some fresh roadkill in the trunk of our car.  That's legal now in our state.  They came home thrilled with their find...all three of them.  Sawyer told me, "This is the best day ever, right Mom?!"  Boy, if I had known that's all it took, we could have saved a lot of money.  They got to help skin it.  I'm sure a three-year-old with a skinning knife is p...