caring for others

My dad's grandmother was in charge of washing the family's silverware at age 2. She came from a large family. Everybody had to pull his own weight, even the two-year-old. So her mom put her to work doing something she could do that would be helpful to the whole family: washing silverware.

I can't say I would trust my two- and three-year-olds with washing the dishes just yet. More water ends up on the floor than it does in the sink, and the front of their clothes are usually soaked by the time the first dish is rinsed.

But they absolutely love washing dishes, and it's made me a believer that there's something to the ideal held forth by my ancestors: the acknowledgement that everyone is a part of his family, no matter how much or how little he contributes to it.

So while I wouldn't recommend you eat off the plates my kids clean just yet (unless you actually enjoy crusty chunks of the previous meal stuck to your flatware), I do love to watch them dig into real life tasks: cleaning out measuring cups, sweeping the floor with their mini brooms, and even hanging clothes on the line.

Isn't it interesting how even the littlest members of a family get so much pride out of contributing to it? It's almost like Someone designed us to care for and about one another. Hmm.

The bulk of their day still revolves around all sorts of play, which is exactly what they should be doing as children. But there are also times throughout the day and week that our play takes the form of some real life work: setting the table, running out to get the mail, unpacking the dishwasher, pouring drinks, and moving laundry from the washing machine to the dryer.

I'm thankful for all those little ways in which they help our family function (not to mention how they help the kids be independent and capable adults some day . . . or so I hope because if they can't figure out how to get a stain out of their clothes, they'll have to call their grandma who is basically the queen of OxiClean), and it's such a joy to watch them take ownership and pride in their work . . . even if the clothespins were upside down and the fork ended up on the right side of the plate.

It's a start. In fact, it's the first step in learning that taking care of someone other than themselves matters. And in a time in their lives where they are particularly prone to thinking only of themselves (hello, toddler "No, me!" mentality), that's something. I'd bet my dirty fork on it. 

speaking a new language

 

Do any of you moms ever stop for a moment and wonder -- should anyone listen in on a conversation between you and your children -- if other people would think you were absolutely nuts?

Or speaking a foreign language?

Maybe, like, an Elven one.

In our house, "heifers" are referred to by the 2-year-old as "cow peppers."

"Headbands" are "hedgehogs."

"Flashlights" are "cheeseburgers," because you turn the flashlight on, shine it in your eyes, blink as though you are being blinded because you ARE, and then say, "Cheeeeeeeeeeseburger!"

OF COURSE. 

"Little People" figures are "many peoples."

Disney princess dominoes are "playing with friends."

"Donuts" are "bacon."

Do you see my dilemma? It's like learning a brand new language, except there are no vocab flashcards and the grammar rules change by the moment.

No one ever told me being an English major mom to a 2-year-old could be this linguistically sticky.

Whew.

I think I need a bacon.

Reading Aloud with Your Kids: It's Worth It

 

Hi. 

I'm Adriane. I'm 33 years old. And I still give my mom grief about the fact that she fell asleep reading the Little House on the Prairie books to us every.single.day. 

Not that I can blame her. We'd sit in the sun in our dining room after lunch, and before Mom would get a page into the next chapter, she was nodding off and I was sitting there staring at her, wondering if I should wake her up or hope she'd jolt herself awake. 

Of course, now that I'm a mom, I get it. Post-lunch naps are the best -- if you can get them. 

But this isn't a post about sleepy moms and sunshine. It's a What We're Reading This Week: Micro Version (aka the kids' version). 

 

We have a lot of children's books, which I love, because we are a house of readers. The bookshelf in the kids' room is jammed full, so until we have more space, I packed up all the Halloween and Thanksgiving and Christmas books, not to be brought out until next fall when they will seem exciting and new. 

I've also started our own little version of a library cart. Hey. I have worked in three libraries in my life: during high school, during college, and during grad school. Let's just be happy I don't have books organized by the Dewey Decimal System, mmmkay?

Every week or ten days, I swap out books from the bookshelf with books on the Ikea cart and then return it to its place in the living room where  we can grab a handful of books to read if little brother is napping or we're winding down before bed or any time in between. Books with tearable pages are on the top shelf for big sis, books that can be slobbered on and manhandled are on the bottom shelf for little brother.

My current favorites are the BabyLit series.  (English major alert.) We've got board books from Pride and Prejudice to Anne of Green Gables. You cannot start them too young, people! This week it's Huck Finn, next week we are reading in iambic pentameter in preparation for Shakespeare!

Ok, maybe a bit much for a two-year-old. I'll give her another . . . week. 

Georgia's current favorites (this week anyway) include:

• the Llama Llama books (thanks to the kickstart from Megan and to Ludacris for getting that book stuck in my head for the rest of eternity and to my husband who now tries to rap the song every time he reads the book)
• The Mitten
• The Gingerbread Baby (clearly we still have a few winter books out)
• Go, Dog, Go!
• The Itsy Bitsy Duckling, The Itsy Bitsy Bunny . . . I think you can see where this is headed . . . 
• and a random Search and Find book where big sis points out trash cans, seesaws, globes, donuts, potties, and bananas.

I'm a firm believer in reading out loud to kids, no matter what age they are, every single day. When my farmer doesn't come home for lunch, I read Little House on the Prairie (currently) to the kids while they're eating. When brother lays down for a nap, sis and I take at least ten minutes to read books on the couch, just the two of us. Before bed, Chris reads a book to both kids while they sit on his lap . . . and while big sis tries with great disappointment to get her little brother to hold her hand.

Reading outloud is also good for calming temper tantrums. (NOT THAT MY TWO-YEAR-OLD EVER HAS THOSE NO SIR.) If I sit down in the middle of the floor with a book and start reading quietly in the midst of a wail, she will almost always stop mid-cry to come sit by me and listen along.

It's also helpful in expanding vocabularies -- for little people and big people alike. Sister recently learned what a panther is from one of our books, and her new favorite game is to growl at her dad while he either hops in the air like he's terrified or growls back. 

And it's also worth noting that our pediatrician even promotes reading. She gives each of the kids an age-appropriate book each time they go to the doctor AND gives me information each time on why it's so important to read to them. It's a really lovely and kind encouragement to a mom!

 

If you don't currently do much reading to your kiddos at home, you can check out the Read Aloud Revival website. She offers book lists for each age group, month, etc. that you can print off and take to the library. It's a helpful resource that keeps you from having to read through each book before you check it out to make sure it isn't quirky or . . . just plain weird. You know which books I mean.

Whether your bookshelf is overflowing and the librarian knows you by name or she's never met you at all and your one book has never been cracked, it's always a good time to incorporate more reading into your day. The laundry can wait. It'll still be there tomorrow. Trust me. Mine never goes away.

So, let's hear what your current favorites are this week -- whether you're two or 60. Tell me, tell!

PS Also, if you too now have Ludacris and Mama Llama stuck in your head, I'm sorry. (Heyyyyy!)