You're certainly a font of nothing



I've been missing my kids a lot these days. Wishing I could spend more time with them, wanting to take days off to go do silly stuff with them ... of course, my being totally disenfranchised with my job probably plays some role in that. But really, I'm just wanting to be with them more. I'm chomping at the bit to leave and pick them each day and spending the evenings rolling around with them being silly. And then in the mornings, Bean's having the hardest time letting me leave her at school - she's not freaking out or crying, she's just clinging and telling me she doesn't want me to leave, that I should stay with her, that she wants to be with me always ...

I've begun my last two mornings with Bean snuggled against me, as close as she can get, and it's kind of nice :) This morning she was holding my hand and whispered that she was sad about my broken finger (my left pinky, I broke it a few years back and it healed all bent) and gave it a kiss.


After a bumpy week or two, four is turning out to be a pretty great age. I can reason with her, we can talk about most anything and she can express herself quite well. Twenty-some-odd months is slightly less reasonable. Miss O, however, for her part has been pretty decent lately too. We've been freak-out free all week, except for a small meltdown when Bean took the bowl of Flat Earth chips and wouldn't share them.

But O responds to reason somewhat well - if she doesn't want to do something, like get her jammies on, I just explain that if she wants to pick out a bedtime story, she needs to let me get her pajamas on.


She's still not much of a talker, but certainly has "no" down pat, and parrots most anything. She's got a (belated) 18 month check up this Friday, so I'll be talking to her ped about her speech just to be sure there's nothing to worry about. When I've talked to the teachers at her daycare about it, they don't think she's too far behind, and since they see more kids each day than I do, I appreciate their opinions. But I still worry a little, especially when I go back and watch videos of Bean when she's 4-6 months older than O is now and Bean's just rambling away ...

Can you believe that Bean considers extra hugs and tickles a fab reward for good choices? She did something sweet for O yesterday and I thanked her with a full-body tackle and tickling. We have a new bedtime routine (which may explain why it has taken them so damn long to fall asleep lately) of jumping on the bed and me grabbing them from mid-air and tickling them. What? I'm not supposed to encourage jumping on the bed? Pfffttt.

I know I'm not the only one who encourages or instigates "bad behavior" in the name of fun and silliness ... what's your favorite "bad" thing to do with your kids?
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3 comments:

hotairfilter@sbcglobal.net said...

Goodness, they are so much older than the last time I remember seeing pictures! They are cuties.

One bad behavior we encourage is writing on dh with an ink pen. When he needs to rest after work, but wants to be with the kids, he lays on the floor in the living room and lets them doodle on his back while he snoozes.

I say "ink pen", but sometimes the stray sharpie or marker finds it's way to someones hand...

And that's the only one I'm going to tell!

Vivian said...

What on Earth is better than tickles and hugs from mommy? : )

Well, the one 'bad' behavior I allow more than I should is TV. But you know sometimes, I just need time to cook, get something done, or read a few pages of a book... As an educator I know better, but as a human mommy, I'm just doing my best.

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness when did the girls grow up??? They are so beautiful, and smart too ;)

I allow more *bad* behavior than I'll ever admit, but it includes purposefully removing the couch cushions so they can be jumped on, teletubbies on video, computer play so I can work out in peace, suckers...oh, the list is long.

 
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