Let Them Laugh

March 23rd, 2010

We finished The Secret Garden in our read-aloud time recently.  I liked it much more than I thought I would.

I fell in love with one of the lesser characters.  Mrs. Sowerby.  I found myself not only wanting to sip tea in the cottage with her, but wanting to be her.

She had so many children.  She baked.  She had a cottage.  She stood up to powerful wealthy people when she was decidedly neither.

She loved not only her own children, but these two nearly orphaned kids as well.

And my favorite chapter of the book was the one where she listened to her son.  Really listened.  And then commented to him to let the two children laugh.  The two that had so very little to laugh about.

 

It was a good reminder.  One that I will paint on my wall.  And in my memory.

Because sometimes I don’t.

I stop them in the midst of their play for chores.  For school.  Just because I don’t want to hear the chaos anymore.

But I don’t want to cut that time short anymore.

I want to remember to..

let them laugh.

Regrouping

March 23rd, 2010

My third grader’s been struggling with regrouping for months now.  Oh, the tears and frustrations. 

On his part as well.

Today I wrote out steps and numbered them.

Then he decided to use his little sister’s method of adding – drawing dots and counting them.  We’ve tried number lines, counting fingers, counting bears, counting coins, memorization, pulling our hair out. 

Nothing has worked.

This did.  For today.

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Unlikely Teachers

March 11th, 2010

One that still has much to learn can still teach what he knows.

After my “where are my mentors” whining post I’ve been thinking alot about learning from others.  I read one of the links about bringing others along the path you’ve travelled and I was shocked by the part about asking God to send mentors into your life if you’re lacking them.  What a concept.  How have I missed that? 

I was also surprised at my comfort that those who are further along in raising lots of littles still have their own struggles with raising lots of olders.  I’ve struggled with continuing to give advice about having 2 children under 2 when I’m struggling so much with having 5 children under 8.  But it made me realize that just because we need someone to teach us the next step in this child-raising dance that we might still have the first few steps down to an art.  We have something to offer.  We still have much to learn. 

And it also got me to thinking – am I taking advantage of the teachers that are already in my life? 

Just a day or two after that post we had a repairman come over.  While I was filling out the check, my sons were nosing around his truck.  They commented on the type of flashlight he had and that we used to have one just like it.  I laughed and added, ”Yes, but I’m sure his still works since he doesn’t have little ones ‘playing’ with it.”  He smiled and said with a wink, “Actually, my workers are frequently taking the batteries out of them on a job site to put in other necessary tools and forgetting to replace them.  So I’m also without a working flashlight alot.  But you know, it’s just stuff.  I could stay on my men to keep the trucks cleaner and replace batteries, but I’d probably lose a lot of my good workers over stuff.  A lot like raisin’ young’n's, right?”

It was nothing new.  But a much-needed reminder.  The Teacher sent me a teacher at a time that I needed to relearn an old lesson.  Certainly not how or who I’d have thought it would be.  But a learning moment all the same. 

What are some of your unexpected moments?  Who were some of your unlikely teachers?  Is it as hard for you to be teachable as it is me?!

Toddler Tips - Cereal

March 5th, 2010

I used to hate cereal.  With lots of littles – cereal means a HUGE mess.  And I hate messes.  But over time, I’ve allowed it more.  It is after all a great snack that’s full of vitamins and minerals (as opposed to, say, candy).

 

But now, I’ve discovered that our newest problem is division.  Equal amounts of the same cereal.  Which is great when you have a new box.  But when you get down to the end and there’s not enough for four separate people – fights break out.  We usually have several boxes of cereal open at once.  So I started mixing all the different kinds of leftover cereal into one bag and then dividing it evenly into those little ziplock snack bags.  Little bags mean right portion size, less mess, and easier for little hands to get into.  Baggies mean that I can turn them loose outside with them and they can carry them around to eat it.  Mixing up the cereals means an ever-changing snack for them and waste management as I’m actually using up the leftover cereal.  It also means less fights when they are no longer arguing over who gets what kind of cereal.

Win.  Win.  Win.  And I’m all about winning.

How do you win some of your uneven division battles among your kids, I’d love to add another win to my side of the battle board.