Mynastics
Junior is into gymnastics, which she calls mynastics. It’s fun for her and she enjoys it. Yesterday, she was helping the Mrs. put up the laundry and her job was to put the towels up. She decided, while she was there, to practice her mynastics on the towel rack in the downstairs bathroom. Said towel rack is designed to hold a couple of towels and not 36 pounds of mynastics grade enthusiasm. So, the towel rack came off the wall. Later, when the kids were in the tub, I noticed the broken towel rack (I hadn’t yet been told it was broken). I asked what happened and Junior said she didn’t do it. The Mrs. then told me what happened. We had the talk about lying.
So, I decide to fix it. While fixing it, I look at Junior and tell her we don’t hang on things. And she asks me why. I say because if you do that, then you break my stuff and I don’t like that. How would you like it if I broke your stuff? Rest of the conversation goes like this:
Junior: Don’t break my stuff!
Me: But what if I did? Would you like that?
Junior: If you broke my stuff, I’d tell on you.
Me: Who would you tell?
Junior: Your dad.
Me: Do you know who my dad is?
Junior: Yes.
Me: Who is it?
Junior: Poppa
She did know.
August 7th, 2008 at 11:59 am
Not only did she know who it was, she knew he had “authority” to direct your actions or to punish you. Interesting she didn’t say “mom” 😉
August 7th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
My kids have actually threatened to tell on me to my folks.
Dey’s smart, dem chillens…
August 7th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Ha ha ha, smart kid!
August 7th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
She’s got you wrapped around her little finger. It’s not a bad thing. Enjoy it.
Maybe get yourself a diamond earring so her finger will look even better with you on it? 😉
August 7th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
They learn damn fast, such as saying the “gd” word, not that I would have first-hand knowledge. I was told that once, really.
August 7th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Did you ask her what she thought poppa would have done to you if you’d broken his stuff?
August 7th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
So for her at this point it seems it’s all about crime and punishment (“do this or don’t do that, or else”). Somewhere in there is a lesson on right and wrong, which though related, is a different subject. How do you make the distinction to child? I don’t know. You’re on the right track with, “How would you feel”? I think one of my two kids gets it, and the other– I’m not sure. They’re 15 and 11.
August 7th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
My daughter just shot herself, half an inch under her right eye, with an arrow from a bow we had made out of two twigs cut from our dogwood.
August 8th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Our kitchen towel rack’s holding up great after 10 years in the house. Whatever previous (almost typed pervious) owner put it up must have used some heavy duty stuff. I’m all the time telling the kids “don’t hang on that!”